


Be My Home

by Doggomother105



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Confessions, Cute, Dream Sex, Dry Humping, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Funny, Lemon, POV Alternating, POV First Person, POV Outsider, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Sexual Humor, Sharingan, Slow Burn, Smut, Strong Female Characters, Trauma, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:00:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 52,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28973226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doggomother105/pseuds/Doggomother105
Summary: She only has one name, Miyabi, no surname to follow.Once a loyal test subject, Miyabi was betrayed by the people she trusted most. With now no family, no home, she must leave the place that helped mold her into what she is. In a desperate act for vengeance and to regain the home lost, she employs the help of former enemies. However, she wasn't counting on her home perhaps being elsewhere near a certain masked man.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. 
> 
> This story will include very explicit sexual content. You have been warned. 18 + years only.

Like a knife, a cluster of sharp low-hanging branches sliced across my skin. I could feel the blood trickle down onto the forest floor below me, yet no such sensation of hot stinging followed as I hurtled through the thick foliage. I could hear my pulse pound in my throat and feel the wind pushing me onwards, and I was only somewhat aware of my lung's eagerness for breath. However, the heaviness in my stomach and the cold sweat building behind my forehead protector fought back the desire to slow down. 

Even though my tired legs were trembling and threatening to allow my body to collapse, I continued to run. And even though my throat was dry, and the taste of hot dirt lingered in my mouth, I continued to run. For running was my only option, that is, if I wanted to survive. 

Faintly, I could sense the other chakra signatures steadily gaining, becoming more intense and numerous with each stride. I had counted two earlier, but by now, they had tripled in numbers. My teeth ground tightly at the thought of reinforcements and even more so as I tried to focus on the strengths of their emanating chakra. A cold shiver shot along my spine, for all of them, were elite, Anbu Black Ops. 

I’m an exceptionally skilled kunoichi, this I knew. I had completed many high-ranking missions varying from dangerous assassinations to escorting targeted feudal lords, but I was not that skilled. I was at least not skilled enough to singlehandedly take down six Anbu shinobi. Therefore, stopping now would most definitely result in death. That very reality caused my heart to pound painfully so as a reaction to my rising anxiety. Only one option existed: get the hell out of there!

Although, that plan didn't sit well with logic either, as my chakra reserves were alarmingly low. If I burnt through them trying to get away, any fighting chance I had would vanish. I would be a sitting duck, easy prey. I would die in vain … just like them. My squad. My only family. 

That is why I had to survive. For them, I vowed to live. I vowed that their deaths would not be meaningless. I vowed that I would avenge them. 

Like cattle, they were slaughtered. They were killed because of me because I was too weak. In a sense, I was also partially to blame for their deaths.

When it happened, I froze like a rabbit cornered by its predator. In the end, they paid the ultimate price. They threw their lives away for mine. Mine!

All because of these eyes that I possess, the kekkei genkai of the Uchiha clan, the Sharingan. Those eyes were meant to lead my people out of poverty, out of weakness. We were to rise as equals against all the other shinobi villages. We were to be acknowledged, respected. Now I know that they were to be used for an entirely different purpose. They would save my people from he who claims to serve them. He who they trust most. 

Tears wet my cheeks, and the wind swept them away as I pushed against the branches under my feet. My comrades' deaths signify that he, the village's lord and protector, never once cared about the well-being of his people. He didn’t want to ease their suffering but only add to it. He didn’t want to be respected; he wanted to be feared. Power was the only thing he wanted, and he would get it at any cost, even if that meant murdering his people, just as he murdered my squad, just as he tried to murder me. 

I remember when his predecessor, Lord Eito, ruled; it was a better, happier time. Back then, the village and the people in it were the only things that mattered. Everyone used to have fuller bellies; they were healthy, they were content. However, since his death, a dark cloud had since loomed over our heads. People were now starving, dying. Shinobi had become hardened, and the only thing that mattered was the mission. Instead of looking after his people, our new lord, Lord Aashi, focused solely on military strength in order to crush his enemies and create new ones while doing so. An emphasis on the strong versus the weak evolved. 

It took a long time, and my comrades have had to die before me to realize that I would rather die also than to take any place under a man with such blatant blood lust. But as I said, my death would not be in vain. 

Others needed to know about the imminent threat coming from my former village's growing military strength so that they could be ready. I refused to allow others, be it people from other lands, to die needlessly by the hand of such a monster. He had to be eliminated, and I was willing to let go of my pride, of the loyalty I once harbored, to seek help from those I once considered an enemy. So, even though my bones felt like they could break, my muscles tear, and my lungs and heart burst, I had to keep running for just a little while longer. 

The border to the Land of Fire was fast approaching. 

As I was being chased through the ever-thickening forest, I embedded a handful of kunai laced with wire and paper bombs in the trees' hard bark. Such a simple trap would never claim the life of an Anbu shinobi; I would be foolish to believe otherwise, however; that was not my intent. Even if it only caused them to slow their pace, I would be that much closer to accomplishing my mission. 

To my satisfaction, a change of speed occurred in my pursuers as I felt their chakra signatures dwindle momentarily, signaling to me that they had elected to travel around the trap. However, my body was starting to feel the adrenaline's effects slowly leaving me. New painful sensations began to form that were inflicted from the previous fight forced on me while fleeing the village. 

The open cuts on my skin felt like a fire gradually eating away at me. My jaw clenched, and my muscles spasmed due to the intensifying pain, but I tried to clear my mind of everything else other than the mission. That mindset, as well as the extra time I had gained from the trap, are the only things that allowed me to creep past the border, thus entering the Land of Fire. 

“Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!”

A fast-approaching heat warmed my back, getting increasingly intense until the exposed skin on my arms, legs, and neck were almost ablaze. As a near-natural response, I summoned chakra traveling from my brain to my optic nerve. My surroundings dyed to a deep red, and every detail became more sharp and distinct as my Sharingan activated. 

I weaved in and out of the bullet-like flames bursting towards me. Swiftly, my hand reached inside my back pouch and just as quickly pulled out a kunai. I glared with red-black eyes at the six figures surrounding me higher in the trees while taking on a defensive stance with kunai pointed out threateningly. White porcelain masks hid their faces away. The only visible feature was their eyes peering through thin slits.

Before jumping down onto the forest floor, I attached a large paper bomb to the kunai in my hand and hurled it high above the canopy. The explosion, a huge boom that assaulted my ears, was even felt on the ground as the vibrations rang out for miles. Despite the thick smog of smoke and few burning leaves as hot embers rained down, my Sharingan could see the six Anbu, their bodies outlined by a misty blue cloak of chakra, follow me. On all sides of me, they stood, trapping me in a large circle. 

"We'll be taking those eyes of yours now," one of them, a female with any icy calm voice, said. 

I wanted to shiver, and I almost did, but despite the gripping fear that squeezed my heart, I managed to stay firm. A shinobi must not show signs of weakness after all, for if they do, the enemy will have the upper hand in battle. Even though my heart was pummeling the walls of my chest, and my breathing was deep and unsteady, I somehow managed to maintain a low, threatening register. "Come and get them.”

The woman Anbu launched towards me while unsheathing a pristine clean tanto from the sheathe strapped to her back. The way she moved, her impatience and eagerness, was a clear sign that she was a mere rookie. She probably hadn’t even claimed a life with that blade yet. I wasn’t going to be the first. 

Because of my Sharingan, I could observe clarity in her actions. Even before her arm moved, I could see an intention to swipe along my gut. As her tanto came swinging from the right, my feet pivoted in the loose dirt, spinning me around and facing her exposed side. Summoning chakra into my curled up fist, I delivered a swift uppercut into the kunoichis ribs causing her to stumble back. 

The other five Anbu seemed much more experienced than the one I had just struck. Unlike their teammate, they weren’t so headstrong and impatient. They stood back, watching.

As the female kunoichi collected herself, she glanced around. Her eyes were seemingly begging for help, or at the very least puzzled as to why she wasn’t getting any assistance. 

It was in this lapse of focus that I lunged forwards. When her head swiveled round to face me, my eyes locked onto her amber ones, which widened in panic as she realized her mistake. However, it was too late by then, and her body, ensnared in a genjutsu, slumped motionless onto the ground.

"Don’t look into her eyes!” One of the remaining five shouted. 

Slowly I turned to face them. My feet were cautiously dragging me into a small circle, preparing to defend myself against any who might attack first. As I waited, I noticed that each one had their head tilted downwards with their eyes never drifting higher than my shoulders. My only advantage for a face can reveal many things, even how your opponent plans to strike next. 

Finally, one of them, a tall, lanky shinobi, commanded the other four by using hand gestures. The order was immediately followed by a barrage of kunai and paper bombs being sunk into the dirt at my feet. Just as the explosion happened and the dust was picked up and swirling around like a thick brown cloud, I found just enough time to escape higher into the trees. However, I got no time to rest because I was instantly taken off guard by two Anbu intent on decapitating me with their sharpened blades. Panicked and off-balance, I threw myself out of the way in time. I almost slipped when my feet landed onto another, thinner branch. 

My inability to judge a branch's width was almost my undoing. My assassins were giving me no time to adjust and were assaulting me with a rapid flurry of strikes, one after the other. As I was trying to keep myself from falling, another Anbu raced towards me. So, my only option was to let myself plummet backward. I felt the cool metal of the blade run across my shoulder, ripping the fabric of my tattered clothes and causing a deep bloody gash as my body descended. It was either my shoulder or my throat; the choice was obvious. 

Before my back hit the dirt, I dropped into a tight backward roll, narrowly missing a fatal downward strike to the back of my neck. I then sprung to my feet, panting heavily. Even with my Sharingan, I couldn’t seem to keep up. They were too quick, too coordinated. However, it appeared the attacks had stopped for a moment, and my assassins were back in the leafy heights, watching me like a pack of hungry wolves. 

“Giving up already,” I laughed in between deep, uneven breaths. My shoulder was warm and wet with blood, and I could feel the thick liquid ooze down my arm and into the palm of my hand. I dared not acknowledge it. 

“You’re finished,” the one who cut me said while directing his bloody blade towards me. “Make this easier for yourself and give up.” 

Right then, throwing the fight would have been a relief. But I would never do it, not for myself, not for my team. To throw in the towel would be to forsake my pride as a shinobi, and that was my entire being. So, instead, I grinned through the pain. “No way in hell will I give up to the likes of you!”

My body shifted all its weight onto my back leg, and I propelled myself forward, my feet kicking up a plume of dust as I darted towards the closest Anbu shinobi with his crimson sword. With a kunai tight in my grip, our blades connected. Orange sparks shot out as they ground against each other. The pressure shifted back and forth between us as we competed for strength, but I could feel the power in my arm waning. I pushed back from the branch with a final shove of my blade and landed onto a higher one, immediately weaving hand signs. I wasn’t going to be caught off guard again.

As I channeled the little chakra that I had, my Sharingan zoned onto three Anbu racing towards me. Two coming in from either side and another from above. 

“Wind Style: Cloak of wind!” 

A torrent of ferocious wind encased my body like armor, causing my brown hair to flow vigorously through the air. Quickly, I leaped out of the way of the oncoming attack higher in the leaves. My entire being felt as light as air without any wind resistance to hold me back. With that new-found speed, I rushed downwards at break-neck speed. Before the Anbu shinobi who cut me even had time to counter, my kunai slashed horizontally against his carotid artery. Cerise blood spurted from the fatal wound and stained the bark of the tree. His body fell lifelessly and tumbled out of the trees with a heavy thud. Immediately, just as the corpse hit the ground, it burst into a blaze of intense fire — a swirl of yellow, orange, and white swallowed him whole. Even from where I stood, I could feel the intensity of the heat press uncomfortably against my face. 

That is what happens to all Anbu shinobi. Suppose they die or become too severely injured. In that case, they must destroy their bodies to prevent any secrets from getting into their enemies' hands. 

However, with my diminishing chakra, I had no time to feel sorry for my enemy. I could already feel the layer of wind around me becoming thinner. My black-red eyes turned their attention onto the remaining Anbu. In that time, they had landed back on the ground, their backs almost touching as they huddled into a tight circle with their blades outstretched. 

With a light jump, I, too, landed back on the ground; the wind around me was swirling up a small tornado of dirt. Slowly I walked forwards, trying to seek out a weak spot in their formation. As I passed the genjutsu trapped kunoichi, my eyes widened in shock as one of them threw their tanto directly into her heart. It barely had time to register, and amidst the fear and the bewilderment, my wind armor faded to nothing. As her body exploded into a fury of flames, I only managed to tumble out of the way in a sloppy roll, some of the embers licking my skin, causing me to cry out.

Amidst the ringing in my ears, I heard the muffled sound of dark laughter as I tried to hurry to my feet. Before I even had a chance, my neck yanked past my shoulders as a hand pulled back a fistful of my hair. A whimper escaped my lips at the feeling of my roots being roughly tugged. My arms thrashed out desperately, trying to push the intruder off, but to no avail. 

“You’ve lost,” said the man behind me lowly. 

With that, he pulled out his blade and held the cold metal against my throat. My red and black eyes widened in fear but then softened to acknowledgment. 

Indeed, I had lost. There was no fighting. Here I would die. In my mind, during my last seconds, I apologized to my fallen friends. ‘I am sorry, Haruki, Kitsune. I have failed you.’ 

“Now die.” 

I closed my eyes in acceptance, prepared for the sharp object to slide against my throat. 

“Chidori!” 

A crackling sounding like a call of a thousand birds screamed out into the forest. Behind my lids, I caught sight of a blue hue of light. The hand around my hair let go abruptly, and the feel of the blade against my throat vanished. In a daze, I opened my eyes. The scene both relieved and frightened me. 

I could see a mess of silver hair belonging to a tall man in a dark green flak jacket. His back, however, was turned to me. But what drew my attention was a mass of blue chakra taking the form of lighting in his hand that had taken the place of where the Anbus heart should have been. As he withdrew his hand, a gaping hole was left. There was no blood, as all the vessels had been cauterized, but the smell of burning flesh filled the air. 

“Kakashi Hatake,” the Anbu man whispered weakly. I could see the life leave his widened eyes. Just before his body was engulfed in intense firey heat, the shinobis foot drove into his midsection, causing him to tumble through the air in a furious explosion of orange. 

The man, this Kakashi, quickly fumbled around with something on his face. And when he turned to me, I saw only a face hidden away by a navy cloth mask and a single onyx colored eye. The other eye was covered up by a slanted forehead protector bearing the symbol of the Hidden Leaf. 

For what felt like the most prolonged second ever, I took this man in with my Sharingan, trying to comprehend what had happened. One moment I was sure to die, then the next, he showed up. Finally, I managed to find the words trapped in my throat. 

“Than … thankyou,” I stuttered. 

Hurriedly, I pulled myself onto unsteady feet and turned to face the three remaining assassins. All of them had backed far off and were once again high in the trees. My Sharingan could discern that their bodies trembled ever so slightly, and their pupil dilated eyes not once blinked or left the masked man. 

I was so rattled that I didn’t even realize that two more hidden leaf shinobi had arrived and stood a few meters behind me. Both appeared to be in their mid-teens, one a pinked haired kunoichi with an enlarged forehead and emerald-green eyes. The other was a spiky blonde-haired boy with bright blue eyes and wearing a startingly orange jumpsuit. 

“Any reason why you Hidden Lake shinobi have crossed into the Land of Fire?” Kakashi calmly asked, despite his hand having just been embedded in the chest cavity of one of their comrades. 

Finally, the tall, lanky one spoke. “That kunoichi you just saved; she’s a rogue shinobi. She has committed crimes against the Land of Air. It is our job to eliminate her.” 

“A criminal?” the pinked hair kunoichi questioned. “What did she do?” 

“That’s classified,” one of the Anbu, a shorter but equally thin man, on the far right, injected harshly.

That was a blatant lie! If it was a crime to avoid murder, then yes, I suppose I was a criminal. “I did nothing,” I spoke up, only loud enough for the hidden leaf shinobi to hear. 

“Huh?” Kakashi looked at me quizzically, “What do you mean?” 

“Why do you think they’re after me?” I smiled weakly, gesturing towards my Sharingan eyes. “You would have noticed them already; otherwise, you wouldn’t have made such a rash decision to save me.”

“You’re right,” Kakashi stated in a stern, no-nonsense tone. “So don’t try anything. We’ll be taking you to the Hidden Leaf.” 

“Don’t worry; I was actually heading there myself. I have vital information your Hokage must hear. But first, I have something to say to them.” I gave a small head gesture towards the Anbu shinobi and received a permissive nod from the hidden leaf ninja. On wobbly feet, I took a few steps to pass the man known as Kakashi. My Sharingan eyes then glared cooly at my failed assassins as I ripped the forehead protector off my head and hurled it at the one in the middle who caught it easily. 

“You tell that murderer Lord Aashi about how you failed your mission.” I hissed, “and tell him I’m coming for him.” 

None of them moved. They stayed there, their bodies tense as though ready to pounce at a moment's notice. “We aren’t leaving until you hand her over,” the one who caught my forehead protector said, his voice betraying his impatience. 

“Sorry, nothing I can do, I’m afraid,” Kakashi cooly said, shrugging his shoulders. “After crossing the border, your rogue ninja is supposed to be taken under custody in the Land of Fire. I suppose you could go back and get your village leader to ask us to transfer custody.” His voice then became darker, and his visible eye glared right through them threateningly, causing even me to tremble. “Now, if you don’t want to die like your friend here, I’d report back to him now.” 

For a brief moment, it appeared as though the Anbu shinobi were prepared to attack and were squaring off with the leaf ninja. However quickly, they backed off, perhaps realizing they were no match. I was left to wonder whether this Kakashi was really that strong. 

To my surprise, my assassins weaved hand signs, and in a blink, they vanished in a puff of white smog. I could finally breathe easy, or so I thought. I almost choked on my own oxygen when Kakashi turned to me with that same menacing glare. “Who are you?” 

Even with my Sharingan, I doubt I could have mustered such a stare even if I wanted to. “Miyabi,” I answered a little too quickly. 

“Miyabi who?! Are you an Uchiha!?” the blonde-haired shouted at me, rushing up to me with quizzical eyes. I had to step back slightly with how close he got, which caused me to stumble slightly. 

“Ah no, just Miyabi” I answered with a slight awkwardness.

“Then why do you have the Sharingan,” the same boy growled at me.

I realized then what they must have thought and why they all seemed tense and hostile towards me. To them, I looked like the criminal those Anbu claimed.

“I didn’t steal them if that’s what you think.” Right then, the blonde-haired boy lunged at me and dug his fingers into both my shoulders, shaking me violently. 

“Then why? Answer me!” A sharp pain shot through my right shoulder, right where it had been sliced open, and a pained squeak came from me as he continued to shake me. The longer he continued to rattle my body, the less timid I became and the angrier I got. 

“Naruto!” the masked man snapped, grabbing the boy's attention, thus causing his grip to slacken. “Let her go.”

Before the boy, Naruto, could even let go, I lifted my knee and drove it into his gut, which caused him to stumble back away from me. His bright blue eyes shot daggers at me once he had gathered himself but quickly looked elsewhere once he realized mine were much more sharpened. 

“Look, I told you I would explain, but it’s too dangerous just standing here,” I said firmly. “I guarantee those shinobi didn’t go back to the village, and right now, you guys will be as much of a target as I.” 

“You’re right,” Kakashi agreed, his voice taking a much calmer, more relaxed tone. “But once we’re far enough, then you will tell us everything.”

“Okay,” I nodded. 

With Naruto and the pink-haired kunoichi behind me, and Kakashi in front, I began to move forward, ready to continue the Hidden Leaf journey. However, as I took my first step, a blurriness captured my vision, and my Sharingan unexpectedly deactivated. Fatigue snared my muscles, and I could sense myself falling but unable to stop it.

As I was sure I would crumble on the ground, warm, muscular arms wrapped around me. Slowly the black spots disappeared, and I was gently lowered to the ground with Kakashi leaning over me. I used my charka than I thought. 

“Are you okay?” Kakashi asked. 

I felt a warmth tint my cheeks as a blush creeps in. I should have been less foolish in the amount of chakra I used; I should have known better. 

“Yes, uh yeah. I’m fine,” I pathetically lied. I tried heaving myself onto my feet, using the nearby tree as support. All I managed was to show weakness as my arms crumbled beneath me, and I fell back down. At that moment, I was sure I couldn’t look anymore pitiful. 

I was now painfully aware of each scrape and cut that marred my skin, and the deep one of my shoulder that was leaking crimson fluid was near unbearable. I glimpsed down to my hand and noticed a rivulet of blood trailing down my arm, all the way to my fingers. “It looks worse than it feels,” I tried to play it off. 

“I doubt it,” the pink-haired kunoichi retorted with a roll of her eyes. 

A shy laugh erupted from me, and I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly using my unharmed arm, “sorry,” I murmured embarrassedly. All I wanted to do was get myself onto my feet, to show that I was capable and not a liability. A small voice inside my head kept screaming, ‘For god's sake, Miyabi, get the fuck up!” 

As I tried to pull myself up again, the pink-haired kunoichi stomped towards me and roughly pushed down onto my chest. Once again, I was back on my arse. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I was absolutely flabbergasted that such a small teenage girl could possess such strength and look as though she was only holding down an injured bird. 

“You’re just going to injure yourself more if you try to act tough,” she said with a focus apparent in her eyes as she examined my shoulder. “I can’t do much right now, but I can slow the bleeding.”

Before I could even argue, the medic on the team pulled out a rolled-up bandage from her back pouch and began to wrap it around my shoulder tightly. It happened so quickly; I was close to yelping in surprise from the painful pressure. I wouldn’t be surprised, though, if she was purposely trying to be rough. After all, it’s was no secret that my former village despised the Leaf. In fact, my village despised all of the great shinobi villages. Therefore, such disdain would indeed be met back. 

“All done,” she said, her hands rubbing together and her focus shifting to me with a warm smile that I did not expect to receive. That only made me wonder if all her patients received a less than gentle treatment. 

“Thank you,” I thanked, a little shamefaced. I was certainly not used to be being minded by others. If anything, I was usually the one taking care of my comrades. To have me in such a vulnerable position felt wrong, like it should never have happened. Yet here I was, being mended by a former enemy shinobi whose name I didn’t even know. 

“You shouldn’t move your arm for a while. I think you may have torn through a ligament, but I won’t know until I have a better look. You’re in no condition to travel either, with how much chakra you’ve used up.” 

“I’ll handle it,” Kakashi interjected with a bored sigh. 

I had no idea what he meant. On the verge of making it onto my feet, with all my weight relying on my good arm to push me up, I became startled when two hands hooked around my inner thighs and hoisted me onto a stiff back, making me shriek out a quiet “eek!”. 

Never had I had to be carried. Never would I expect anyone to have to. I really didn’t want to start now. 

“You know I’m really quite fine,” I said flustered while squirming to try and get off Kakashi's back. This only caused his fingers to dig into my thighs, threatening to leave tiny bruises if I didn’t stop. I guessed that was his way of saying ‘stop moving, or I will make it worse.’ I let out an almost inaudible grumble as I ceased my movements and leaned into him begrudgingly. 

“See, that’s much better,” his voice held a hint of amusement. 

“Yeah, sure,” I rolled my eyes, “let's just get some leeway. I’d hate to stay here too long and risk an ambush.” 

“Alright, let's go,” Kakashi said to the rest of the squad, right before sending us up into the leafy heights in the direction of the Hidden Leaf Village. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter is finally done. This took me about a week and a half to write up, and I couldn't stop editing it. I didn't know what tense to use for one, so I kept swapping between the two, which made up most of my editing. On top of that, I am a perfectionist, and my writing never seems good enough. I admit I am not a strong creative writer, but I want to try. 
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts. Now I am taking a break from writing for a few days, and then I will delve into writing chapter 2.


	2. Chapter 2

The journey went on in relative silence, broken only by the sound of the wind rushing past my ears and the sound of sandaled feet making contact with the tree branches. Most of that time, a weariness, created from the chakra exhaustion, tried to pull me under. The comforting warmth radiating from Kakashi and the smooth rocking as he leaped from tree to tree did not make my effort to stay awake any easier. Often, I would begin to doze off, and as my head lulled to the side, I would startle at the sensation of falling. 

When the sky became tinted with faded orange and pink as the sun began to set, Kakashi slowed up to allow Naruto and the pinked hair kunoichi, which I learned to be Sakura, to catch up and travel alongside us.

“We should take a short break now,” Kakashi said. “I think it’s time we heard what she has to say.”

Both Naruto and Sakura both gave a small nod. Their mouths were set in a grim line, and their eyes never seemed to leave me, as though by merely staring, they could get the answers they were so eager for. 

After coming to a halt, we emerged from the thick, green lush onto the grassy floor. The further we went inland in the Land of Fire, the greener everything got. Apart of me was in slight awe with the beauty. Although my country had an abundance of pristine lakes, which showcased its own splendor, everything else had a brown or grey shade. I always thought that was a bit strange. One would think a place with so much water would surely come with lush greenery. But I suppose much of the environment had been destroyed by wars against neighboring countries. This made it particularly difficult to grow anything of substance. Because of the harshness of the country, there was also little wildlife to hunt. Only a shinobi could really make do with what the wilderness had to offer. The rest were left to suffer, the rich being excluded. 

Kakashi slowly sat me down up against a tree for support. As soon as we settled, with Kakashi laying casually back on a low branch above me and Naruto sitting cross-legged opposite me with big blue inquisitive eyes, Sakura approached me and leaned in on my side with her eyes level with my shoulder.

“I'm going to start healing that shoulder of yours before it gets an infection," she said.

Too tired to argue, I let her get to work. Firstly, she unwrapped the bandages around my shoulder and began poking and prodding around it, asking if certain things hurt. After she was done with her initial exam, she pulled off her black leather gloves and let her hands hover over the wound. A green chakra stemmed from her palms and entered my body. It was cool and soothing to the touch, and I had to hold back a relaxed moan as she coaxed out the impurities and started mending the muscles and skin. 

"We can't stay here too long," Kakashi began, "so start talking."

"Yeah," Naruto frowned while pointing a single finger threateningly, "and don't miss anything out."

I thought Naruto was attempting to exert dominance. While his face indicated he was nothing but serious, he didn’t have that same assertiveness that arose from Kakashi. Unlike his sensei, his demeanor was simply too innocent, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t not look like an idiot. 

"Okay," I sighed. “But I’ll be brief if that’s okay? I don’t think it’s a good idea to stop here for too long.” 

Kakashi regarded me for a second with his single black eye and then nodded, permitting me to begin. 

I was quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful as I tried to think of how to string my words together. After everything I had been through, especially the recent trauma of losing my friends, my memories were all jumbled together, and it took significant brain power to lay them out chronologically. Finally, I spoke. "So, a few years back, the Hidden Lake has been umm ... collecting kekkei genkai from other villages."

"What do you mean collecting." Naruto interrupted almost immediately. I rolled my eyes at him, not that he noticed. He wasn’t observant about small details like that. 

“Are you going to interrupt me often?” I said, aiming to show my annoyance. 

“No, but you said collecting. How can you collect kekkei genkai?” 

To that, I couldn’t argue, and instead, a nervous laugh came from me as my annoyance dissipated. "Well, I suppose steal would be a better term for it, wouldn't it?" I wasn’t expecting anyone to be pleased with that notion, and I was right, for what I said earned a look of disgust from everyone. In order to keep retelling events, I decided to pretend I didn’t even realize their looks. "We had particular teams, whose only job was to locate ninja with kekkei genkai and obtain DNA samples from them. Those DNA samples would then be injected into the cells of my village's ninja. The purpose was to have the kekkei genkai manifest in the ninja who was injected with the DNA.” I then took in a breathy sigh that not only allowed me a chance to breathe but served as a dramatic effect. “I was one of the test subjects."

"And let me guess, you were injected with Uchiha DNA?" Kakashi assumed, quickly putting two and two together. Although, one doesn’t need to be a genius to make that connection. 

"That's right. But I'm the only one who was injected with the DNA; after all, finding an Uchiha isn't particularly easy these days. Getting a sample from one is even harder, you know, with the massacre and all…" 

It was common knowledge even outside the land of fire that the Uchiha clan was wiped out. There were only two surviving Uchiha left. I had even heard, one of those Uchiha was responsible for the massacre. Itachi Uchiha. He was in every bingo book around and a rogue shinobi of deadly skill, which would seem right considering he was a member of the Akatsuki. 

"How'd they do it?" Sakura chimed in. She had finished with my shoulder, which was now left with not even a scar. The pain in it had been completely drained out, making it feel like my injury never happened. I rotated it both clockwise and anti-clockwise to test out its mobility. Everything was in working order. If anything, it felt even stronger than before. I could not hide the look of astonishment even if I wanted to. The fact that she was only a teenage girl was even more shocking, especially considering my village didn’t have such skilled medics. 

I shook my head, "I have no idea." I often thought the exact same thing. To me, pursuing Itachi Uchiha for a DNA sample sounded like a suicide mission, that is, if it even came from him. Then again, I also heard that more than half of the shinobi on the team responsible for obtaining the sample had died. So in a sense, I was more than half right. 

"But why come to us with this information?" Kakashi asked. He was obviously skeptical, and I suppose if I were in his position, I would be too. Even though his body had a carefree slouch, he had a certain rigidness that indicated that he would swiftly act if I proved untrustworthy. 

"I had my misgivings for a while," I said. "Before, with our predecessor, the kekkei genkai were supposed to be used only to protect our village, nothing more. But since his death and our new leader took the role, that's no longer the case. They're preparing for war, against the hidden leaf, against the other great shinobi villages. I don't want any part of it." That was a partial lie, of course. Yes, the war was inevitable, but I had no misgivings. If it weren't for the betrayal, I would have blindly followed my people, with death being the only thing to stop me. It was only when the most important people were taken from me, had my blindness been cured. I finally saw how twisted and brutal our way was. It was then my allegiance changed. 

"So you ran away because you didn't agree?" Kakashi seemed relatively unconvinced as he took me in with his stern gaze. He was no fool, and a half-assed lie wasn’t going to do it. Sakura was also doubtful. It was only because those two were unconvinced that the wheels started turning in Narutos brain. 

I sucked in the air, and my hands fumbled around with the hem of my navy skirt that covered my black shorts underneath. "Well, there is a bit more to it," I mumbled. My eyes closed for merely a second. A second was all it took for a flash of my friend's blood-soaked faces to emerge behind my lids. Their faces were contorted into a mixture of agony and fear. Haruki was screaming with his last breath for me to run while Kitsune was choking on her own blood, all the while her limbs twitching as she tried to stand, fighting until the end. 

Abruptly my eyelids flung open, and my body trembled involuntarily at the memory. I did not need to see that. I didn’t ever want to see that again. How could I talk about it, if even thinking about it was agony? There was a deep, settled fear in me that it would become all the more real if I spoke about it. 

"Well then, what is it?" Naruto grumbled impatiently.

"Look!" I snapped angrily. That was the only response I could do that didn't involve crying. Shinobi should not cry, for a shinobi must not show any signs of weakness. "I'm not about to tell you my whole life story. You're right. I didn't just leave because I felt like it one day. I had a very good reason, but I'm not about to tell you. I'm not sure I can even trust you."

"How can we be sure to trust you then, if you won't tell us everything!" Naruto said, his voice rising above mine as he shot to his feet with his fists balled up like he wanted to punch me. 

"You can't, but whether or not you trust me is irrelevant. What I am saying is the truth, and you'd be stupid to ignore it." 

"Fine," Naruto groaned. His face was twisted into a scowl. "But I don't like you, not if you're keeping secrets."

"I never asked you to." I shrugged my shoulders to show how little I cared. "Besides, that makes us even cause I don't like obnoxious brats like you anyway."

"What did you say!"

"Naruto quiet," Kakashi shushed. His body lost its languid posture as he stood up with stiff alertness, looking off into the distance. I hadn’t noticed earlier, but now that he had drawn my attention to it, I could sense it too; they were getting too close for comfort.

"But she..."

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura hissed, giving him an icy glare that caused him to clam up instantly, too afraid to continue his antics. He shriveled up to her menacing glare, but that didn’t stop his eyes from quickly darting to me angrily. The more I was exposed to Sakura, the more I was beginning to like her. If I was going to stick around, I definitely planned to divulge her secrets about dealing with Naruto. 

"They're close," I whispered. I struggled to heave myself up to ready for battle. Despite my shoulder being healed, my muscles still felt like lead and were reluctant to respond to the orders coming from my brain. 

"You're in no condition to fight," Sakura said, carefully pulling me back down once I was already half-way up. She gave me a concerned look, "leave this to us." 

Almost immediately after she said that my ears caught the sound of shuriken striking through the leaves. I heard it before I saw it, the black stars whirling towards us. The clang of metal filled in the silence as Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi struck down the shuriken with their kunai, leaving them to fall at their sandalled feet. 

"I'm sorry, but we can't let you take that information back to your Hokage," The tall, lanky Anbu shinobi from earlier emerged from the canopy. On either side of him, the other assassins stood, blades already drawn. 

"You're making a mistake," Kakashi cautioned as the Anbu spread out to cover any exit. 

"The only mistake was letting you Hidden Leaf shinobi go earlier." 

Kakashi's eye flicked over to Sakura and Naruto. Although half his face was covered, it was evident he was concerned for his less experienced teammates. His gaze then drifted to me, and they creased into a reassuring smile, "Don't worry. Let us handle this." 

"Letting those Hidden Leaf dogs do all the work for you, Miyabi," the Anbu, a much more muscular man on the far left of us, snickered, "no wonder your comrades died."

"Shut up," I said tightly. For a moment, I forgot that I was supposed to be sitting and not overexerting myself as I pushed up onto my feet, feeling ready to pounce. Every muscle was tense, but this time it wasn’t from the chakra exhaustion. 

"You're a coward, weak." He continued, relishing in my rising anger. I knew then that he was baiting me, but I didn't care. All I wanted was to rip out his throat. All I could see was him dying in new gruesome ways. Each imaginative scenario gave me more pleasure than the next. 

"Such a pity they threw away their lives for yours. But then again, if they were going to die so easily, it's not really a waste, is it? I can still hear the sounds of their screams as we ..." 

"Shut the hell up!" I screamed over the top of him before he could finish his sickening sentence. My blood boiled and was pumping vigorously through my muscles. Through the sheer rage and adrenaline that manifested so quickly, it felt as though my body was vibrating. I couldn’t stomach just standing there, letting him say the things he was saying. I couldn’t let him continue to disrespect them, not when they couldn’t defend themselves. There was only one thing I could do. At the time, I didn’t think it so stupid. 

My feet burst of the forest floor beneath me, and I was rocketing towards the Anbu with my Sharingan instantly activating. As I was getting closer, the strange thing was the slower time seemed to have got, and the clearer my surroundings became. All of a sudden, I could read my target's intentions before he even started moving. During the last two meters, our eyes connected, and the look of fear overtook his face of confidence. I didn’t know then, but a second tomoe revealed in my eyes through the intense emotions storming inside me. 

As a last-ditch effort, the Anbu angled his blade, ready to thrust upwards. He knew it was futile. He knew he had signed his death. 

As the Anbu's arm thrust out, I ducked and spun to his side with my leg sweeping his, letting his body fall out of the tree. As he tumbled ungraciously in the dry dirt, I was already on top of him with my kunai sunken into his chest. With terrified eyes, he looked at me. Further, I shoved in the blade, and I could hear the splatter of blood against the porcelain mask as he coughed it up.

"Don't you dare underestimate me!" I spat. Deeper the blade went. "Don't you dare speak of them!" His body was writhing under me, his fingers weakly clawing at my skin to get me off. Amidst my anger and the pleasure I was receiving as the life was seeping away, I could barely feel his survival efforts. 

A quiet, sadistic laugh came from me that was loud enough for only myself and him to hear. “Not so weak, am I?" Finally, his limbs flopped to the ground, and the last bit of light left his eyes. My hands, stained with the blood spurting out, yanked out the kunai. And as his body became nothing but kindling for the flames engulfing him, I jumped out of the way. 

I never relished in killing; it was just a job. But as I watched the flames lap greedily at his body and the smell of burning blood filled my nostrils, a wave of intense satisfaction washed over me. It was a pity I couldn’t bask in that feeling for a while longer. 

I was abruptly pulled away from my sick sense of pleasure by the sound of fighting. The clash of metal on metal, limb against limb, pulled my attention away. I turned around to watch the fight behind me unfold. Despite one of their teammates being killed, the last two Anbu had not backed down. They were outnumbered, four to two, but they would rather die than report back as failures. If they hadn’t had a hand in the murder of my comrades, perhaps I would have felt saddened about how blindly loyal they were. But alas, I was glad that they would die. 

The tall, lanky one was fighting Kakashi, while the other was against Naruto and Sakura. While there was a definitive gap in skill between Kakashi and his opponent, Kakashi being the stronger of the two, Naruto and Sakura struggled to keep their own. I watched as Sakura was almost cut down, only to be rescued by Naruto’s shadow clone throwing itself in the way. And although they were still fighting, not a single blow had landed. They had immense power, Sakura with her monstrous strength that could rip out trees and Naruto with his Rasengan that could explode boulders. Still, they lacked the necessary speed, or at the very least a third team member. At the most, they were chunin level, nowhere near capable of killing an Anbu shinobi. That was enough reason for me to ignore medical advice, and I couldn’t endure watching them fight the way they were any longer. 

Perhaps I did more than I should have because as I was running forwards to aid them, my legs crumbled beneath me, and I skidded against the dirt, tiny rocks ripping at my clothes. My Sharingan deactivated, and, along with it, the remainder of my chakra faded. My muscles turned to unmovable weights. As I tried to move my arms to claw myself up, the more my vision blurred until it was completely black. Not long after, my other senses slowly diminished, and I was left in nothing but a sea of unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

When I came to, I first noticed a severe icy chill spread out over every inch of skin. No matter how much I shivered, I could not get warm. And even though it felt like my whole body had been dipped under a frozen lake, a thin veil of sweat stuck to me. 

My eyelids were uncomfortably heavy, and it took a few minutes before I could even open them. Instead, all I could do was listen and shiver under the thick blanket that was draped over my form. I couldn't hear much though, most of the sounds were muffled. I could only vaguely catch the sound of flames sizzling, although the heat was lost on me; however, most of the noise was drowned out by the sound of loud snores. 

Finally, my lids popped open, and along with sight, the sounds around me became sharper. The first thing I noticed was that the sun had set entirely, and I was under a navy sky, lit only by a blanket of stars and a half-crescent moon. 

I was laid out on the ground, wrapped in a dark green blanket. A few meters next to me was a campfire eating away at a bundle of logs, but all I could feel was the cold. Even if I stood in the flames, I doubt I would feel the burn. 

The snoring I had heard was coming from Naruto. We were in a round, small clearing in the forest. On the other side, he was curled up into a tight ball, sleeping peacefully while hugging and nuzzling his backpack. Not far from where he was, was Sakura who was also asleep. Unlike Naruto, she slept very still and didn't find the need to make any strange noises.

Along with his loud, irritating snores, he would sometimes giggle and mumble dreamily. I didn't even want to think what his dreams were made of. Then again, that would apply to most teenage boys. 

"So, you're finally awake?" 

My stiff muscles jerked to the interruption to my thoughts regarding Naruto's obnoxious sounds. My eyes darted around, and they soon landed on Kakashi, who was in the closest tree to the right of me. He was lying back on a branch, orange jacketed book in hand. His single eye barely peered over the page at me.

"Ah yeah," I mumbled. I tried to look at him, but while I was lying down, the angle of where I had to crane my neck felt awkward. Slowly, I pushed up from my palms and groaned slightly to the stiff aching apparent in every muscle. When I was upright, I could not help but quiver to the bitter, icy feeling in my upper body. I quickly hoisted the blanket up around my neck to quell the sensation. Once I was sure I was comfortable, I looked back up to Kakashi, who was now altogether paying me attention. "So, I guess you didn't need my help?"

"Well, we handled the rest, if that's what you mean?"

I nodded slowly, "Yeah, that's what I was referring to." An awkward silence then fell over me, and Kakashi took that time to delve back into his book. "Thank you." 

I was almost barely audible, but Kakashi had heard my gratitude as his gaze traveled back to me. His eye did not leave as I expected it to, and I realized then he was waiting for more. 

"I … I um," I stammered, trying to find the right words, and I felt my cheeks flaring the more I remembered my irrational actions. "I probably shouldn't have … ahh … acted as rash as I … um … did." That confession was more agonizing than I had pictured. When I finished, I felt like I couldn't look in Kakashi's direction. Suddenly the grass on the permitter of the clearing was very captivating. As I thought about how I acted, I couldn't help but think that my actions resembled that of a fresh genin. That only caused my sense of pride to plummet even further, for I was supposed to be ranked jonin. Or at least I used to be a jonin. Now, as a rogue ninja, no rank really applied to me. 

"Well, I'm sure a hospital trip will help you reconsider in the future," Kakashi said, giving me a closed eye grin. 

I almost choked on my own saliva at that comment, and my eyes rushed back to his with an unenthusiastic glare. I wouldn't say I liked going to hospitals. The long days of lying in bed, the constant checking, poking, and prodding were enough to deter me. I hated the monitor's constant beeping and people visiting you, asking if you're okay, seeing you in such vulnerability. Though, I doubted I would need to worry about the latter. 

"I don't think that's necessary." 

"Oh really." I could hear the teasing tone, mostly as he stared at the blanket I was shivering under. "Even after being rendered unconscious, can barely move, and can't regulate your body temperature?"

Even though I was violently shivering and my teeth were clattering together, I still tried to argue. "I used up a bit too much chakra. To admit me would feel like a waste of resources."

"Right … is that how the Hidden Lake would treat its shinobi?" his voice had lost that sound of playfulness, and it presented an underlying tone to it like he was also referring to something else. I peered into his stony gaze, and although anger was apparent in it, it didn't feel directed at me but rather for me. 

"I think I know what you're getting at …" I said, trying to keep my voice calm. Naruto and Sakura were still sound asleep, but I didn't want to risk waking them. The last thing I need was to have Naruto drill me full of questions I didn't want to answer. Like Kakashi, they would also have a vague idea of what happened to cause me to desert my village, after what that Anbu said before I killed him. 

"Are they the reason why you left?"

"Mmhmm," I bowed my head, thus breaking the eye contact. Underneath the blanket, my fingers were fidgeting nervously. "It's not something I wish to talk about."

"Yeah, I understand." I was taken aback by the tone he used, and it somewhat showed as I froze rigidly. There was a familiarity to his voice. Although it was a phrase that many would say in this situation, it was more meaningful coming from him. Who did he lose for him to understand how I felt? 

A weak smile found its way to my lips, and my body returned to a more fluid state. "At least I'm not the only one." The wrong choice of words, and I immediately regretted them as soon as they left my mouth. 

"Oh?" Kakashi said, raising an eyebrow.

Ashamed and flustered, I tried to backtrack. I would have thrown my arms up in defense if they weren't so incredibly stiff and heavy. "I mean … I … didn't mean it like that!" I could feel my face getting hotter by the second. "It’s just … it’s … comforting knowing someone else has … well …”. I couldn’t find the words; instead, I fell into an uncomfortable silence, which grew even more painful because Kakashi wouldn’t stop staring at me. Was he amused? Angry? I had no idea cause that mask hid away nearly his entire face. 

Finally, the silence was broken by a small chuckle. “That mouth is bound to get you into trouble eventually,” he sighed, putting his nose back in that book.

“It already has, plenty of times,” I murmured, remembering all the arguments, fights, and misunderstandings I had created simply by speaking before thinking. Kitsune once said that I had a bad case of foot in mouth syndrome. 

I stayed quiet for a while after that, trying to get to sleep. But amidst the cold fever I had, the aching, as well as Naruto’s snoring, the idea of sleep got further away. Instead, I sat up again with an exasperated groan. 

“I don’t know how Sakura can sleep near him.”

“You get used to it,” Kakashi said boredly, not once taking his eye off the book he was still reading. 

I examined him for a while, seeing there wasn’t much I could do. Although he kept peering over the page slightly to make sure there were no nearby threats, he was otherwise wholly engrossed. I had to crane my neck slightly to get a good look at the cover and was a little perplexed by the title and the image. The front cover showcased a woman cheerfully running away from a man. The title read ‘Makeout Paradise.’ I had no idea what to make of it. Was the title and cover purposefully misleading, and was the book actually some gory, action novel? 

“Is it any good?” I finally asked.

“Huh?” Kakashi lifted his eye from the page, looking slightly puzzled, and I had to nod to his book to communicate what I meant. “Oh, this?” He closed the book shut and slipped it over in his hand. “It’s probably nothing you’d like.” 

“Well, you seem to enjoy quite a lot,” I huffed, slightly annoyed by his vague answer. His response was evident that Kakashi wasn’t willing to divulge anything about his book, so instead, I turned my attention elsewhere. “What about the mask? What’s with that?” 

“What’s with the questions?” he retorted back, leaning further back in the tree, with one of his legs dangling over the side. 

“I’d hardly say two questions is a lot,” I said with an eye-roll. “Maybe your too secretive, which wouldn’t surprise me because you know … the mask.”

“Ahh, so you’re bored.” 

“I didn’t say that. Besides, you don’t have to make it sound like I am a child.” I didn’t intend for it to happen. Still, ironically I felt my lips form a pout, which resulted in Kakashi closing his eye in a smile and chucking softly. That only made me turn a brighter shade of red. Due to my flustered state, my body should have been feeling overly warm; however, I could not seem to get rid of the chill on my skin, and another shiver ran through me. 

“Are you alright?” Kakashi asked with a raised brow. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I murmured, trying hard not to look at his dark eye that was now looking at me critically after I had trembled for the umpteenth time. 

“Do you think you’ll be alright to travel, we’re close to the village, but I don’t want to risk being out in the open for too long.” 

It felt like not a single nerve in me had been spared pain, and on top of that, each nerve was also frozen. But after how much trouble I had caused, I didn’t wish to complain. So, instead, I gritted my teeth and forced my quivering mouth into a fake smile. 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I can rest once we get to the village.”

I don’t think Kakashi believed me; his judgy gaze lingered too long for it to read confidence. But once it became evident that I wasn’t going to confess my actual state, he gave a tired sigh and turned his attention to Naruto and Sakura. “Okay, that’s enough rest,” he said loud enough for them to stir. 

Sakura immediately rolled onto her feet. Although groggy, she did as she was told and quickly swung her bag onto her back. On the other hand, Naruto grumbled about needing a few more minutes. He rolled onto his other side, intent on falling asleep again.

“Naruto, wake up!”

A scolding from Sakura immediately got Naruto out of his sleepy state with a yelp. He sprung up hastily while cowering his head, as though he expected he would get hit, which I wouldn’t be surprised was a frequent occurrence.

“Ok, I’m up, I’m up,” he assured, breathing heavier than usual, most likely out of fear of Sakura. 

Once we were on the move, I noticed that both Naruto and Sakura were acting strangely friendly towards me. It left me with a strange feeling, and I soon realized that they were being nice because of what they had heard earlier. That reason only made me feel worse because I didn’t want to be the subject of everyone’s pity. So, when Naruto was about to apologize, I had to stop him before he finished his sentence.

“You don’t have to be nice to me,” I quickly said, cutting him off. “Besides, I thought we had an interesting dynamic before.” 

“That’s not it,” he said earnestly. He then quickened his pace so that he was level with me, who still had to be carried around by Kakashi. “I didn’t know that you were being so secretive because of what happened with your team. I know it must be hard talking about it. I also know, if that’s the reason, then you have a solid reason not to lie. I trust you.” 

I stated at him open-mouth, not sure what to respond with. No one had ever treated me like that, so I wasn’t sure what to do with it. Why should he trust me? He has only just met me. I certainly haven’t earned it. 

Even though what he said was clearly naïve and stupid, I was still touched, and butterflies quickly stirred in my stomach. I tried to open my mouth to say something, but no sound came out other than a shocked gasp. I was starting to feel like perhaps Naruto wasn’t so bad as I first concluded. “I… um … thanks,” I hesitated, still in somewhat of a daze. 

“Besides,” Naruto continued, his eyes gleaming brightly as he smiled eagerly at me. “I can definitely get behind someone who values their comrades first.”

“Naruto!” Sakura snapped from the back. “Do you really think she wants to be thinking about that? Use your head.”

“Oh, right. Sorry,” Naruto said, turning his head sheepishly to me.

I smiled at him to communicate that it was alright. It was apparent he meant well. It was kind of funny, actually, because Naruto and Sakura reminded me of them quite a lot. Like Haruki, Naruto had that same goofy and trusting persona, while Sakura was much more level headed and scary, just like Kitsune. As I thought about the resemblance more, a small giggle escaped me, causing everyone to stare at me with confusion. I didn’t bother explaining my little outburst. Instead, I left everyone to their puzzlement. It was more amusing that way. 

The remainder of the trip finally came to a close. As the sun began to rise, we approached the Hidden Leaf’s giant green gates. We were greeted at the entrance by two males chunin. One had half his face covered with hair, while the other had a bandage wrapped over the bridge of his nose. They greeted Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura cheerfully, but as their eyes landed on me, their happy expressions turned to a look of curiosity. They didn’t say anything, though, but instead, let us continue further into the village. As gatekeepers, they have probably seen many prisoners and other interesting people or things come through and learned not to ask specifics. 

As I took in my surroundings, I almost forgot the reason I was there. I wasn’t used to seeing so many shops, bright colors, and of course, people. The streets were bustling. I could swear the main street would almost be the same population as my entire village. Their happiness wasn’t lost on me either, almost everyone wore a smile, and their eyes were wide and bright. They were more than content, they were thriving, and I was a little envious of the contrast between my village's people and the people in the Leaf. 

I only managed to refocus from my awe-stricken daze when Sakura mentioned taking me to the hospital first. My face immediately dropped, and before the first word, which was going to be no, left my mouth, Sakura snapped at me, saying something along the lines ‘Shut up and suck it up!’. She wasn’t having any of it. I grumbled under my breath at her, muttering a few obscenities that I hoped Kakashi did not hear. 

Kakashi carried me all the way to the hospital, a large block building that was far more impressive than the small medic hut in the Hidden Lake. Once inside, Sakura turned into an even more authoritative figure and began ordering nurses around. Before long, I was put into a private room. There I was left, with Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto departing in a hurry, saying something about reporting to the Hokage about the situation I had informed them about. 

Immediately after they left me in that small white room, a mid-age nurse entered. She was a frumpy, short woman who started telling me she would have to help change me into some hospital attire. My eyes screwed into a glare, and I hastily said to her that I would be getting no help in something so basic. 

“But honey, in your condition, you shouldn’t be doing anything for yourself until you recover,” she said while maintaining a sickeningly sweet tone. 

“Not happening,” I snapped, and just to prove my point, I limped towards her and snatched the baggy white garments from her hands, which caused her to recoil in surprise.

I felt as though I could faint at any moment, my vision was hazy, and my legs felt weak and shaky, like twigs ready to break under an enormous weight.

“Let me make this clear: I will not be dressed, fed, or bathed by anyone but myself.” To emphasize my point, I made my voice sound as cold and threatening as possible. My eyes that were shooting daggers did not leave hers, which were darting uncomfortably across the room. 

“I … ah … if you in… insist,” she began cowering away out of the room, “but if you need anything …”

“I won’t,” I said with finality to it.

Once she left, I changed out of my torn, ragged clothing and into the white baggy top and pants. The whole endeavor was excruciatingly slow, especially trying to get my stiff arms into the sleeves. And as I tried to pull on my pants, I almost toppled over from exhaustion. 

When I was finished, I was huffing heavily, and my legs were shaking violently. The blurriness was getting more intense, and the room was spinning around me. I was just close enough to the bed for half of my body to hit the mattress when I collapsed, and I had to scrape at the sheets to get the rest of me in. Seconds after my head hit the pillow, I fell into a much-needed sleep.

I had probably been asleep for a few hours when I awoke abruptly, sensing someone approaching my room. My eyes quickly opened, and I jerked up into a sitting position. The door opened inward, and in walked a busty woman with strawberry blonde hair and honey-colored eyes. Other than her enormous breasts, which suddenly made my moderately sized chest look tiny, her most noticeable feature was a violet diamonded-shaped marking in the middle of her forehead. 

“So your Miyabi,” she stated. Her eyes scanned me as she stepped further into the room. Her arms crossed over her chest, which only pushed up her breasts and revealed more unnecessary cleavage. “Team Kakashi has informed me of what you told them. But I am eager to hear what you have to say.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter down. Let me know what you think. I will make a start on chapter 4 in the next few days, which should have more Kakashi which I assuming is the reason you're reading this.


	4. Chapter 4

I told the same thing to Lady Hokage, just as how I told it to Team Kakashi. She was silent as I spoke, only nodding thoughtfully in between my pauses. When I finished, she took in a long sigh, and her honey eyes glanced away as though she was momentarily lost in thought. Her blonde eyebrows narrowed on her face, and her pink lips tightened into a hard line. Finally, her eyes focused back on me, and she spoke.

“Team Kakashi said the exact same,” she sighed wearily, uncrossing her arms to let them hang by her side. She examined me, her eyes drifting up and down my vulnerable form. There was a glint of sympathy behind those amber orbs as she took me in, and her facial features softened. “Your team, they were killed, weren’t they?”

“Murdered,” I quickly corrected, feeling my fists clench.

“Of course,” she said apologetically. “And the Hidden Lake murdered them, right?” 

“Yes.” I stuck to my one-word answer because I was afraid. I was afraid that my voice would waiver if I spoke for too long, and my tears would show. The only time I have cried in front of someone was when I saw my comrades get cut down … and that was the one and only time. I do cry, of course, but only when I am absolutely sure I am alone. To do it in front of the presence of another was a frightening thought. I never wanted to be seen so weak and vulnerable, well, no more than I already was.

“Can I ask why?” She asked softly while taking a few careful steps towards me.

I could already feel the lump in my throat tightening; I was too scared to open my mouth, for I was sure a chocked-up sound would follow. My eyes were stinging; they were threatening to leak tears. Hurriedly, I blinked multiple times to deter myself from crying, and then I looked up. “I will,” I promised quietly. “But … I … I can’t right now.” 

I took in a shaky sigh, hoping that the Hokage would allow me time to retell the specific details in my own time. My eyes nervously looked around the room, and my hands kept clenching, then unclenching. I could feel my heart rate slightly elevate, and a bead of sweat had formed on my forehead as I waited for a reply. When my eyes finally landed back on her, I noticed she had pulled up a chair and sat close to the bed I was on. This new height level presented even more cleavage, and even though I was interested in men, I had a hard time steering my gaze. They were just so big and out there.

I guess I should be grateful for her voluptuous breasts, though, because the awkwardness of them had seemed to calm my thoughts. 

“I do understand,” the Hokage finally said, “yes, when you’re ready then.” 

A gentle smile formed on my lips at her compassion. “Thank you,” I said. 

The Hokage then stood up, her breasts jiggling as she leaned out of her chair. She then walked the length of the room to the door, and before opening it, she turned back to me.

“I am going to send a team of Anbu to check out the intel you have delivered. You’re going to stay here under observation for a few days after you will stay somewhere safe in the village where someone will keep an eye on you. We will see where to go on from there once the team returns.” 

I was in the hospital for four days, most of it slept away. When I was awake, I would stare absent-mindedly at the ceiling, for there wasn’t much else I could do. 

Nurses and doctors visited me frequently, poking, prodding, and asking many questions. By the end of it all, I was getting fed up, and my patience with each visit grew thinner. A few times, I had snapped aggressively about being left alone. After doing it a few times, no one entered my room unless absolutely necessary. 

I was more delighted than I thought I would be when I was finally told I could be discharged. I practically leaped from the bed and changed into the clothes that were brought to me. My old clothes were deemed to be torn and ratty and were therefore discarded. The new ones weren’t much different in design; the only difference was that they were clean and unmarked.

When I was filling in the forms I needed to be officially discharged; a presence leaned over the admin counter beside me. 

“So, looks like you’re my new mission,” Kakashi said with a closed-eyed smile.

After my last signature and pushing the papers to the receptionist, I turned to him and straightened up. “So, you’re my babysitter?” I raised my eyebrow. “I apologize then because it won’t be very eventful.” 

“That’s okay. I could use a break,” he said while shrugging his shoulders. “We should probably go, though; it seems you’re holding up the line.”

He was right. While I was talking to Kakashi briefly, a long line behind me had formed, all people trying to get to the front of the reception, many of whom gave me dirty looks. A sheepish look overcame me, and I embarrassedly hurried out of the way while mouthing an apology.

“This way.” Kakashi gestured for me to follow him. 

I trailed behind Kakashi out of the hospital. He led me down numerous streets, some of them bustling with citizens and some of them nearly barren.

His hands were shoved in his pockets, and he walked with a notable slouch. Even though he wasn’t standing straight, he was still taller than me. Because of his height, I sometimes had to burst into a jog to keep up with his long strides. 

“I trust you’re feeling better.” He said, breaking the long silence.

“Heaps,” I replied with a smile. “I am glad to be out of the hospital.”

“I’m sure the hospital staff feels the same way,” the teasing tone was apparent, and his eye looked down at me with amusement. 

“Sakura told you I take it?” I said, trying to keep my smile, although I was a little abashed. 

“She did.”

“Yeah, well, let’s hope I stay out of the hospital.” 

We rounded a corner and then another, getting further and further away from civilians. The houses and apartment buildings were getting farther apart, and the number of trees was increasing. Instead of the sound of chattering, the sound of birds chirping was moving in.

“You’re not luring me away to murder me right,” I joked while hinting at the lack of activity in the quiet street.

“It’s not far now,” Kakashi answered. He then slowed his pace to match mine. 

He didn’t say it, but I knew. I was being taken to a more secluded area so fewer people would see me and get suspicious and nervous. It was understandable, so I wasn’t offended. Having a Hidden Lake shinobi would scare many people who didn’t know the specifics of my being there. 

Finally, after climbing a flight of steps on the side of a two-story building, we stopped. We stood outside a pastel green door belonging to a beige small apartment complex. After turning the key in the lock, Kakashi swung the door inwards and gestured me to come inside. 

When I entered, I quickly took off my sandals and walked further in. The interior shocked me because I wasn’t expecting a place so nice. However, I wouldn’t be the best judge, considering I was previously living in a shabby shack with flickering lights and hot water only fifty percent of the time. 

The apartment was small and minimalistic, but the sunlight beaming through the large window made it appear more open. The white walls had small scrapes and were probably due to being repainted, and the champagne carpet was a little coarse under my bare feet. 

The middle of the room had a large double bed with light blue sheets, and next to it, on either side, were two white drawers with scuff marks around the bottom edges. A few meters away, where the carpet meets the cloudy white tiles opposite the bed, was a small, outdated kitchen. The stovetop looked overused, as plentiful burns were surrounding it.

Even though the flaws were visible, I still thought it to be luxury. Way too nice for a shinobi in a backwater village. 

“It’s uh, well, I was more expecting a prison cell,” I half-joked. 

“Would you be more used to that?” Kakashi asked, raising a brow. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

“Well, kind of,” I said honestly, still trying to take in the bright, sun-lit room. “We don’t have places this nice in the Hidden Lake.”

“Nice?” He didn’t seem to agree with my opinion. 

“Yes, nice. If you saw my place back home, you’d realize.” 

“I see,” Kakashi said. He walked towards the large window and opened it wide, allowing a nice relaxing breeze to enter the room. “Well, I’ll give you time to settle in.” 

He then climbed out of the window and stepped onto the small balcony under it. He turned to me with a smile and closed the window, thus cutting off the breeze. I could still see him, or at least his spiky silver hair, as he sat down and started reading his orange jacketed book. 

I spent close to an hour walking around the main room and bathroom, opening cupboards, turning on taps, bouncing my butt up and down on the bed. I was taken care of well. The pantry and fridge had plentiful food for more than one person, and the inbuilt wardrobe next to the window was filled with clothes in my size. Next to the refrigerator, the door led to the bathroom, which had a small walk-in shower and a small sink and toilet next to it. On the caddy, hanging over the showerhead, was an array of toiletries, some of which I didn’t even know how to use. The more I looked, the less I felt like a prisoner and more a guest. A gush of happiness overcame me, and I knew that if I got too used to living like an average person, I wouldn’t want to leave. 

By the time I finished looking at everything my accommodation had to offer, I realized that the sun was slowly setting and my stomach was growling lowly. Kakashi hadn’t come inside, and when I peeked out the window, I noticed he had a sleeping bag rolled out on the balcony. He wasn’t planning on entering unless he had to. I felt terrible about that, leaving him outside, but I knew it wouldn’t be much better if I had him sleeping in here, considering there was only one bed. There would be too much awkwardness. 

When I was getting too hungry to ignore it, I decided to make myself a ham and cheese sandwich and brought a second one to Kakashi. 

“Hungry?” I asked, climbing over the window ledge and onto the balcony. 

Kakashi’s back was turned to me, and the page in the book he was reading was in plain view. I had no intention of reading what was written, but despite that, my eyes still caught sight of a few sentences at the top of the page. My cheeks quickly turned to a dark shade of red, and my legs quivered at the passage. I read enough to catch on what was happening. A woman in the book currently had a man’s head in between her legs, lapping and sucking at her clit while his fingers furiously plunged in and out of her core. Despite the graphic picture painted, I couldn’t tear my eyes away, mostly from shock, a little from intrigue. My thighs started to clench the more I read. 

Kakashi then turned his head to me, closing the book as he did. He hadn’t seemed to notice that I stole a glimpse, and he was oblivious to my flustered state. He gave me a familiar welcoming smile through his eye. My trembling hand presented him with the food I had made.

“You don’t have to feed me,” he said while taking the sandwich. 

“Well, it … it’s … the … um … least I can d … do seeming you … uh … are out h … here.” I couldn’t stop the stuttering or the redness getting brighter on my face. I had to take in a long breath to collect some semblance of composure and to stop the shakiness in my limbs. 

Because of my incontrollable stammering, Kakashi quickly realized the awkwardness, and he raised a silver, questioning eyebrow at me. “Are you okay?” He asked. 

“Fine!” I blurted out way too fast and loud, which only stirred Kakashi’s confusion and curiosity. I followed with a light laugh to defuse the uneasiness, “fine,” I said much calmer and quieter. 

“Okay…” 

He didn’t believe me; he kept giving me droopy-eyed, judgy glances while not even paying attention to his food. 

“It’s not poison,” I said, folding my arms and leaning to the side, in an attempt to quell even more of the tremors. 

“Oh, I believe you,” he said while still looking at me. “You just seem a little weird.”

Oh, I’m weird? I’m not the one who reads porn in public! 

“Am I? I guess I haven’t fully recovered yet?” I lied. “Maybe I should go back inside and get some rest.”

I started stretching my arms behind my back to feign how tired to felt.

“Uh-huh…”

“Well, see you,” I said panicky while hurriedly climbing back into the room.

I slammed the window a little two harshly, causing the frame to shake a little, and I briskly pulled back the curtains. As soon as I was away from his critical eye, I let out a sigh of relief and let my body flop onto the comforting mattress. I stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, but my brown eyes suddenly opened in surprise to the warm, moist feeling pooling in between my legs. The feeling grew achy, like a dull throb, begging for friction. My first reaction would be the move my hand to relieve the tension. As my hand crept down my stomach and to the waistband of my black shorts, I stopped, biting my bottom lip and letting out a frustrated groan, knowing Kakashi was right outside.

How he could read that book in public and not have his body betray him was beyond me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter and I apologize for that. I still hope you like it. Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Also, school is coming back shortly, but I want to get chapter 5 out of the way before then. Once I am back studying I won't be updating as fast, but I will still be writing.


	5. Chapter 5

All three of us walked in absolute silence. Our heads were bowed in defeat, and there was a noticeable slump in our posture. Our clothes and skin were covered in dirt and dry blood. Neither one of us seemed to want to talk first. 

As we approached the village border, the unspoken tension between us grew too intense. Finally, one of us broke the silence. 

“Hey, guys!” Haruki said, forcing on a cherry smile and straightening his back. His fist pumped enthusiastically in the air. “Don’t beat yourselves up. Sure, we failed the mission, but there was more to it than the client let on. It wasn’t our fault.”

“Haruki…” Kitsune sighed wearily. She swept her long violet hair out of her face and turned her beaten gaze to him, “as soon as we accept the mission, it’s our responsibility. We screwed up.”

We were assigned what should have been a simple B rank mission. A neighboring village in the country had reported having issues with bandits demanding tribute. Our task was to rid the village of the bandits, collect payment, and then be on our way. It should have been easy. 

Low-life scum was no match for experienced shinobi. We wouldn’t have had even to kill any; the mere sight of us would have been enough to drive them away. However, when we arrived, there were no such bandits. 

Instead, we came face-to-face with enemy ninja. They were from the Land of Dust, from neighboring land. They had taken control of the village to serve as a vantage point to soon attack our home. There were too many for the three of us to handle. We were lucky enough to escape with our lives.

Once we entered the village, we were ambushed. Therefore, we had to fight our way out. Perhaps if the village had sent low-rank shinobi, they would have died. I suppose we should find ourselves lucky that our skills were sufficient enough to allow us to survive. 

We killed many enemy shinobi that day, but not enough. We still failed.

“You know they’re going to peg this on you, Miyabi,” Kitsune said, looking at me with wide, worried eyes. 

“Well, they should; I am the captain after all.” I let out a sigh and slumped even further. 

“Yeah, but even if you weren’t, you’d still be the scapegoat.”

“Those old bastards are always looking for an excuse,” Haruki chimed in loudly. Even though his green eyes were showing anger, a grin spread across his face as he continued. “Miyabi, if you just unlocked your Sharingan, none of this would have happened. How could you, Miyabi? Miyabi, we had faith in you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his attempt to mimic the low, stern, and elderly voice of Lord Aashi. On the other hand, Kitsune was not impressed, and instead, she planted her hands on her hips as she disapprovingly glared at him. 

“Haruki, he’s still our village protector. Have some respect.” 

“Oh, come on, Kitsune, you have to agree. You even said yourself that he would come up with any reason to blame her.”

“Well, maybe he should,” I said quietly but loud enough to get their attention. My eyes were downcast at my feet. We were inside the village now, just past the gate. As I spoke, the other two stopped in their tracks to stare at me. Haruki had a face of astonishment, while Kitsune seemed sorrowful about my self-pity. 

Kitsune stepped closer to me and put a tight but reassuring grip on my shoulder. “Don’t say that. It wasn’t your fault.”

“It’s been six years, Kitsune!” I snapped, throwing her hand off me. “Six years and nothing! If I weren’t so … so … weak, I would have the Sharingan, and perhaps then we would have succeeded.”

“But you’re not weak,” she said firmly, even after I had rejected her kindness. 

“Yeah, if I recall, you had the highest body count back there,” Haruki said lightly, trying to mellow the mood. 

“And it wasn’t enough.”

I was ready to storm home then; I couldn’t look at them. They didn’t understand what it was like to have all this hope rest on you. The village counted on me to unlock this kekkei genkai. However, after all of the rigorous hours of training and dangerous missions, I still couldn’t. I was failing not just myself but everyone. Perhaps it never worked. Maybe they should have picked someone else. 

However, before I could even start the rush home, a team of Anbu jumped down from the buildings around us. We knew they were there; they were everywhere. They listen and watch everything. People have just learned to accept it as part of common, every-day life. 

“What do you want,” Haruki said, less than happy to see them. 

Haruki never liked the Anbu; he claimed they were a bunch of emotionless, mindless tools. He wasn’t far from the truth, though; they were all blindly loyal, never thought for themselves. You had to be a particular kind of shinobi to make it to the Anbu ranks in the hidden Lake, and even then, you may find yourself going missing all of a sudden, never to be seen again.

We all theorized that the Anbu shinobi that did question our leader were killed. Not that we talked much about it though, after all, he was still our leader. To go against him would be treason. We had to trust he had our best interests at heart. 

Although it was clear we preferred his predecessor over him, we still obeyed. For the future of the village, we did as we were told.

“Lord Aashi requests your presence,” one of them said monotonously. 

“For another scolding?”

“Haruki, shut up!” Kitsune snarled under her breath at him.

“Why should I? We should receive just as much of the blame.”

“This doesn’t concern you two,” the Anbu shinobi said. He gave them a moment's look and then swiftly averted his attention back to me, as though they weren’t worth another thought. “Our Lord is waiting.” 

I nodded in agreement and started following the three Anbu shinobi; however, Haruki, who was not content with the Anbu’s vague response, could still be heard shouting. 

“What do you mean this doesn’t concern us!? What is it about!? Hey, wait, stop ignoring me! Stop!”

They led me into the village center, where a large, two stories wooden hut stood. This was where our leader followed out his duties. 

The inside was dark, the other buildings around obscured the sunlight at this time of day, and it was quiet, way quieter than I remembered. Usually, chunin and jonin were rushing about, delivering reports, and delegating orders. There was none of that this time. The only people around were myself and the three Anbu escorting me. A heavy, uneasy weight rested in the pit of my stomach, which usually meant that something wasn’t right. 

We walked up the narrow, wooden steps onto the top floor and then entered the back room.

The room with no windows. 

In the center of the large room, lit only by dim candles hanging off the walls, sat crossed-legged was Lord Aashi. His darkened eyes that were shadowed by thick, grey eyebrows looked up at me. Slowly, he rose to his feet. His weathered face glowered at me, and as he approached me, I was pushed down by two of the Anbu to my knees. 

“Lord Aashi,” I greeted respectively. My eyes were downcast to my knees; I dared not look him in the eyes. 

“My sources tell me you failed your mission.”

His voice was rough, like gravel, and calm. It was always calm, even when he was mad, and that was worse. The way he never let his voice betray what he was feeling made everyone on edge.

My clammy hands, which were resting on either side of my knees, trembled slightly. I should be used to this experience by now, but I never was. Every time, fear would be stuck in my chest. Just to speak was an effort. 

“Your sources are right,” I said blankly. Lord Aashi didn’t need to know that I felt like fleeing every time I was in his presence. “But the circumstances…” 

Aashi cut me off with a wave of his wrinkled hand. “There are no excuses.” His long, bony fingers then reached out and grabbed my chin. He lifted my head with his thumb and index finger so that my mud-brown eyes met his stern gaze. “The Sharingan could have prevented this.”

His hand then snapped back, pushing my face away as he did it. I felt the slight pull of a muscle in my neck as my head was whipped to the side. “With all due respect Lord Aashi, we don’t know that I could defeat them, even with the Sharingan. There were too many.” 

“Then you are too weak.” 

That wasn’t the first time I had heard this, but it still hurt, nonetheless. Over the years, I began to believe it too. That’s why I trained as hard as I did, hours upon hours, every day; I would train. It never felt like I accomplished anything, and he always liked to remind me. Until I unlocked the Sharingan, I would still be weak. 

“Lord Aashi, I’m sorry, I promise I will do better.”

“What good are your promises.” I was shocked to hear the rise in the volume of his voice. His cracked lips drew into a grimace. “What has it been now, Miyabi? Six years? Six years and nothing. Now the Hidden Dust is over the border, taking our land, and you couldn’t stop them.” He was getting louder, more frantic. His bony fingers were pointing at me accusingly, and under the anger, he was shaking.

A higher state of panic overcame me. I had never seen him get so angry. 

All I could do was continue to plead, “Lord Aashi, I will unlock the Sharingan. I just need more time.” My pleas fell on deaf ears.

“You’re out of time,” he said dangerously quiet, a contrast to his shouting.

I didn’t immediately realize what he meant, not until the two Anbu behind me roughly grabbed my arms and held them out straight, just past my shoulders. My eyes widened in disbelief as the third Anbu came up behind me, his hand grabbed a fistful of hair on my scalp, and the edge of his blade came out and rested on my throat. 

“What the hell!” I growled. I tried to struggle, but the way my arms were held would mean I would have to break them to get free. 

“You have failed this village for the final time.” Lord Aashi said calmly. A smug smile crept onto his features as he leaned down to my height. His eyes seemed to glint with hope. “I’m going to take those Uchiha cells back. Perhaps then, we’ll find a more deserving shinobi to host them.” 

I knew then why it was so quiet.

The beat of my heart was immeasurable; it was the only thing I could hear. A pool of cold sweat cascaded down my back. I was terrified. Gods, I didn’t want to die! Not like this!

How could he do this to me? I was nothing but loyal. I would have given my life to protect this village! But he was disposing me like I was nothing but trash! He wanted me to die for nothing, nothing but his selfish desires! 

“You never cared about your people, did you?” I seethed. “You’d really kill me for more power? Power we don’t even need?”

“Oh, Miyabi,” he smiled. His hand reached out and gently looped a sweat-soaked strand of hair behind my ear. “Haven’t you learned by now that the weak have no business being alive?” He then stood back and straightened to his full height, although that still wasn’t very tall. 

“Lord Aashi, wait, don’t just blame Miyabi!” 

“Hey, stop! You can’t go in there!”

The door to the room burst open, and in sprinted Haruki, who was panting heavily like he just ran a marathon. Behind him was Kitsune, who was equally puffed.

“I’m so sorry, Lord Aashi, I tried to stop him,” Kitsune apologized in between huffs. As she caught her breath, her light blue eyes widened in a mixture of shock and fear. “What… what’s going on?”

“Nothing that concerns you two,” Aashi said firmly. “Leave.”

“Wait, we can’t leave!” Haruki shouted. He rushed to the two Anbu that held me in place and tried to push them off me. “Let her go!”

As he fought them to get them off me, their grips slackened. At that moment, I yanked my arms back and rolled back away from the blade in between the Anbu’s feet. 

“You were going to kill her, weren’t you?” Kitsune said, her voice wavering in disbelief. She was usually so calm, but her hands were resting over her kunai pouch, as though prepared to pull one out and fight. 

“As I said,” Lord Aashi said even more firmly, “this doesn’t concern you. Leave now, or you’ll be branded traitors to the Hidden Lake and executed.” 

Haruki lurched forwards at Lord Aashi, his hands gripped at his clothes, and he shook desperately. “Is this about the Sharingan? You were going to kill her for that?” The longer he held on, the more he shook. Lord Aashi was old, but he was the most skilled out of all the ninja in the village. He was letting himself get shaken. Obviously, to him, Haruki was nothing but a nuisance. “Tell me!”

Peacefully, Aashi grabbed Haruki’s wrists and lowered his hands for them to rest by his side. “Yes. Now leave.”

I knew that look in Haruki’s eyes, the look he had before he would snap. The look he often got on missions before turning into an enemy’s worst nightmare. He was about to make a massive mistake.

“Haruki don’t!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, “just go!” 

“You bastard.” Haruki’s fist curled up into a tight fist. He didn’t listen. With all the weight in his body, he swung at Aashi. 

Like lightning, Aashi easily jumped out the way. His eyes, like a furious flame that I had never seen before, zoned in on Haruki and then to Kitsune. “Do you feel the same way?” he asked her.

Her body tensed and a scowl plastered on her face, and then her hand finally dug into her pouch, and she pulled out a kunai to cement her answer. “Go to hell,” she spat venomously. 

“Very well. Kill them all.” 

Haruki ended up punching air again because as he charged towards Aashi, he disappeared into a puff of white. He would have toppled over if I weren’t there to catch him and steady him on his feet.

As Aashi vanished, the room became much smaller. A swarm of Anbu had fallen from the ceiling, and others rushed into the room. Their blades that were glinting from the faint light of the candles was directed at us.

“How could you guys be so stupid!” I growled, “you should have left when you had the chance!”

“And leave you to die?” Kitsune scoffed. Her hand tightened around her kunai as the Anbu shinobi closed in, thus making the circle even smaller. “That will never happen.”

“Right!” Haruki agreed. Their backs were now touching mine as we waited for the first wave of attacks. “Lord Eito taught us that your comrades should always come first. Lord Aashi thinks that makes us weak, but it doesn’t. I’d rather die than abandon my friends.”

Despite the sight of impending doom, a heart-felt smile found its way to my lips, and joyful tears formed in the corner of my eyes. But that feeling was short-lived because I had to focus as a swarm of Anbu raced forwards. 

I ducked in and out of the blades rushing downwards at me, trying to infuse chakra while doing so. As an Anbu lashed out to cut my throat, I shot to the side and landed a chakra fuelled punch against the side of his face. His body flew against the wall, and he was already unconscious when he slid down in a heap. 

The next one was raining down on me with a flurry of swipes, all of which I barely dodged. I sent a high kick in his direction, but it was blocked with his forearm. I had to jump away to avoid his blade cutting into my leg that was left exposed from the block. 

I felt the wall hit my back as I backed up to the two Anbu approaching me. The room was too crowded to fight probably. I didn’t have enough space to throw strikes with full-motion or power.

I could hear the cries and grunts of Kitsune and Haruki, but I couldn’t see them, not amongst the numerous, faceless, enemy. There was dread in my chest, not knowing if they were in trouble. I wanted to help them, but I had my own enemy to focus on. I would die if my attention wandered for even a second. 

My hands came to my chest, and I started weaving signs at break-neck speed. Warm chakra pooled in my chest and throat. “Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bomb.” 

In a furious burst, a thick stream of fire exhaled from my mouth. Like a dragon, I roared the scorching blaze at my opponents. Many had seen the jutsu in time and lunged out of the way. Others were not so lucky, and the red inferno engulfed them. 

Their agonizing screams ripped the silence I had created as the fire ate away at skin, muscle, and organs. But soon, their writhing bodies stilled, and the sickening sounds died down.

A clear view of Kitsune and Haruki appeared as the last of the burning bodies fell to their feet.

The feeling of dread inside me exploded, and my lungs ached as a shrill scream inside me erupted. 

I sprinted to them, salty tears streaming down my face. 

Kitsune was face down in a pool of blood. Her limbs were splayed out in all directions. She was twitching, trying to get back up. But under the weight and the blood loss oozing underneath the floorboards, she smashed onto the ground, this time not moving. I could hear soft wheezes coming from her, getting more and more quieter by the second. 

Haruki sat next to her, a kunai embedded in his chest. Cerise liquid leaked from the corner of his mouth, creating a thin rivulet that ran down his body. As he saw me approach, a weak smile stretched on his dying face. 

By the time I got there and rolled Kitsune onto her back, her breathing had stopped. Her eyes were wide open, but all I could see were dead whites. I let out a choked sob as my hands hovered over the large, deep gash on her stomach. Green chakra emanated from my palms as I pumped my chakra into her. “Stay alive!” I kept screaming. “Stay alive!” 

The Anbu around me that had escaped the blaze were stirring onto their feet, but I didn’t care. All I could think about was them. They couldn’t die. Not for me! Please don’t die!

“You got to run, Miyabi,” Haruki coughed. More blood splattered onto his front. “Kitsune, she… she’s already dead. She died for you, but I don’t think she regretted it. I don’t regret it.”

I turned to him in disbelief, the tears in my eyes clouding my vision. “N … no! I’m not leaving you.” I forced more chakra, the green hue getting brighter the more I summoned. “I’m not letting either of you die! You can’t!”

“Miyabi run!” 

I didn’t see the enemy shinobi standing in front of me or the blade coming downwards. All my eyes could see were blood, tears, and Kitsune as I tried to heal her. I only saw it when Haruki threw himself in front of me. 

Crimson sprayed from his body, splattering the floor, Kitsune, and me.

I could not unsee it, the sight of his head rolling off his shoulders and towards me and the blood shooting from the wound where it should have been and painting my skin.

The echo of his last word was still ringing in my ears.

“Run!” 

I stumbled forwards, screaming and crying. The moisture running down my face was a mixture of blood and tears. I could taste it on my lips, the saltiness and metalness.

As I moved, my legs became entangled in a broad mass of something that was both soft and tight. I crumbled onto the floor with a hefty thud. As I tried to crawl to my hands and knees in a panicked state, large hands gripped at my shoulders and held me upright.

“No! Get off me!” I screamed at my enemy, and my hands pushed outwards. Again and again, I hit at them, trying to get away.

“Miyabi, stop!” The Anbu who had me grabbed forcefully at my arms, and they held them there, despite how much I was thrashing. “You’re safe!”

I froze, confused as to what they said. My breathing was still frantic, and the blood pumping in my ears was all too audible. 

“It’s Kakashi. You’re in the Hidden Leaf.” 

My teary eyes widened in bewilderment. As I stared up, I was stunned to see the glow of my Sharingan reflecting at me from a Hidden Leaf forehead-protector. Kakashi was holding me firm, his fingers digging into my arms to stop me from hitting him. 

Still in a confused and frightened state, my eyes darted around. I was in my room, fallen out of bed, with the sheets tangled around my legs. 

Haruki and Kitsune, who I had seen so clearly, was not there. It was just Kakashi and me.

After a minute, my breathing and heartbeat quietened. I now knew precisely where I was and what had happened. 

Kakashi’s grip on me then loosened, and he gently held me upright while he looked at me with concern. “It was a dream,” he said.

My throat felt raw; it was difficult to speak without any discomfort. “I know,” I croaked. 

I gently took Kakashi’s hands off me, and I wiped away the tears on my face and deactivated my Sharingan. “Why are you here?”

“You screamed. I thought someone got in.” 

That was why my throat felt so sore. I nodded to his answer and tried to stand up; however, I only ended up falling as I forgot I was stilled wrapped up in the sheet. Before my nose smashed on the floor, Kakashi grabbed me from underneath, and he sat me down. He began unwrapping the sheets, but I angrily kicked him away.

“I got it!” I snapped. 

He pulled back, looking a little confused, but his single eye then softened as he took me in. I was tugging irately at the sheet in all directions, but instead of unwrapping them, I ended up tearing them off my legs.

“Do you, ahh, want to talk about it.” 

“What I want is to stop being so pathetic!” I shot up onto my feet, and balled up the torn sheets, and tossed them into the corner of the room. 

Kakashi straightened and raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Pathetic?”

“That’s what I said!” 

“Why do you say that?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest, feeling the anger in myself rise. “Oh, I don’t know maybe the fact that I was first stuck in the hospital, now I’ve been here for a week, add on the fact that I can’t do anything, and I was crying in front of someone else!” 

“Miyabi…” Kakashi stood straighter and looked at me with a strangely sympathetic eye, “you shouldn’t be ashamed of that. Just wait until the team Lady Tsunade sent returns.”

“All I’ve done is wait!” I shouted. “I’m sick of relying on others. It’s all I’ve done since …”

“Since your comrades died?”

I bit my lip, refusing to let another wave of tears emerge. “Yes,” I whispered. 

I was on the verge of saying more, to let it all blurt out, along with every emotion that came with it. Some part of me needed another to hear what happened. Maybe I needed someone else to say I failed them or say it wasn’t my fault. I still wasn’t sure exactly what I needed, just that I needed something. Before anything more could escape me, I shook my head. I couldn’t dump all of this on Kakashi or anyone. 

“I need a shower,” I stated. 

I stormed past him and grabbed the clothes that I had resting on the chair. Before he could stop me, I slammed the bathroom door and turned on the hot water. 

I had to squirm out of my clothes. They stuck firmly against my skin because of the cold sweat from the nightmare. As soon as my underwear rolled down to my ankles, I kicked them off into the pile and then stepped under the hot spray. 

I sighed in relaxation as the warm water washed over me. The steam rose high above my head, and the shower glass and bathroom mirror fogged up quickly. I tilted my head under the shower and let the stream run through my hair. I stayed like that for a while, letting the heat engulf me. 

As the hot water ran along my skin, my mind began to wander back to my dream. I wasn’t sure whether or not to even call it a dream because it accurately depicted what really happened that day. If anything, it was a reminder. 

My eyes blinked down to my wet arms, and a strangled gasp, almost a scream, escaped me. 

The warm water on me was a dark red, running along my skin, pooling at my feet, before whirling down the drain. At the mere sight, I could feel it; I could smell it, I could taste.

I stumbled back against the cool tiled wall and shut my eyes tightly while my whole-body shuddered and tears peaked from under my lids. I couldn’t move from that position. I was frozen in fright, intent on keeping my eyes closed. 

It was only when the water turned cold that I peeked from under my lashes. My beating heart calmed down because the shower was normal again. The water was clear; my skin was clean.

I shivered again, but this time because of the temperature rather than fear. 

Although the water was freezing, I went to wash my hair, lathering my body with soap and shaving away any unwanted hair. 

Finally, I cranked off the icy water.

As I stepped out, I promptly reached out for the towel hanging on the rack. My hands furiously rubbed the towel all over, intent on disposing of every cold droplet. Once I was dry, I ran the towel through my long, brunette hair before pulling it into a single loose braid that stopped along the middle of my back. 

Once I was dressed, in simple shinobi comprising a wine-red turtle-neck crop top and waist high-black skirt complete with black shorts, I exited the bathroom. 

“You took your time,” Kakashi smirked from the chair he was sat on. His foot was resting on his knee, and he was leaning back all laid-back. 

I didn’t expect to see him still here, and my eyes narrowed in on him. “What are you still doing here?”

Kakashi stood up and shoved his hands into his pockets. He walked the length of the room towards the door and then opened it ajar. The breeze hit my face, and he turned to me with an expectant look. “Come with me,” he commanded. 

I didn’t feel like doing anything, except perhaps to feel sorry for myself. I was reluctant to move, but when I realized Kakashi wasn’t going anywhere until I complied, I nodded and left with him out the door.

When we rounded the corner, I finally spoke. “Where are we going?” I asked.

Kakashi gave me a creased-eyed smile and tilted his head slightly. “You’ll see.” 

I noticed that we were moving further away from the main street, to the village outskirts. Soon we had abandoned the paved walkways and moved onto a dirt trail that followed into the forest. The trees and brush grew thicker, and the deeper we went into the woods, the more wild-life I could hear. 

It was mid-morning, and the sun hadn’t reached its hottest yet. A morning chill still lingered, and I was starting to get goosebumps and shivers. I was beginning to regret the light clothing I had on.

Eventually, after about 30 minutes of walking, a clearing approached. As we got closer and emerged from the thick foliage, I noticed three training logs, with targets in the middle stood. Kakashi led me further out into the large clearing and then stopped, turning to face me. 

“You’ve been cooped up too much,” he said with a smile, “I thought some training would be good for you.”


	6. Chapter 6

My skin was tingling. Not from the morning breeze, no, but from the excitement buzzing inside me. I had to take a moment to gape at Kakashi, my brown eyes wide with disbelief. 

“Are you sure?”

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, amused at my childish joy. 

“Yes. Besides, I haven’t had much time to train either. It’ll do us both some good.”

A part of me was still hesitant, waiting for the other shoe to drop. This had to be a cruel joke, right? Any moment now, Kakashi would give me that closed-eyed grin and tell me the real reason he had brought me out here, and that real reason would be far less appealing. 

“Hello, Miyabi?” 

A gloved, fingerless hand waved in front of my face and drew me out of my confused daze. My perplexed eyes narrowed in on Kakashi’s dark one. It wasn't easy to believe that he was doing this for me, a girl he barely knew. 

“Is this such a good idea?” I asked apprehensively. “I mean, you’re supposed to be watching me?”

“I’m watching you now, aren’t I? And Lady Tsunade said nothing about needing to keep you caged up.” He arched a silver eyebrow, “unless you’d rather head back?”

“No!” I didn’t mean to be as loud or as quick with my answer, but it was out there now. He had to know by now how much I was dying to get my body back into work. I needed this.

“Very well,” he chuckled. “How about a sparring match then?”

My lips tweaked into a smirk at the thought of getting to spar against Kakashi Hatake, the man who could strike fear into even high-level ninja. I was eager to see what he was capable of, why he was so famous. No doubt, I could learn something precious, even if I lost.

“Fine by me,” I said.

“Ok, let’s start.”

We squared off. My feet dug into the damp dirt as I settled into my fighting stance. For a breathless second, we stood in silence, our muscles tense and ready as the grass rippled peacefully in the wind.

I moved first, charging at Kakashi. My arm was bent, intent on delivering a powerful, chakra-laden throw. However, with precise speed, Kakashi side-stepped, snapping a swift kick that sent me stumbling forwards in the dirt. I recovered quickly and easily dodged Kakashi’s follow-up attack towards the shuriken targets. 

He was in front of me, his masked face blank and unreadable. His limbs were like a blur of motion as they rained down on me, but my reflexes were sharp enough to block each strike. If I weren’t able to summon chakra to thwart the blows, I was sure they would hurt like a bitch. 

As Kakashi went to deliver a round-house kick to my side, I launched myself out of the way, my body twisting into a graceful backflip that carried me over Kakashi’s head. I landed facing him in a crouch. He was already coming at me with a kick aimed at my midsection. Still, I managed to jerk out of the way, and I could feel the fabric of his pants rustle against the exposed skin of my stomach.

Before his foot could make contact with the ground again, I send out a high side kick that made contact with his chest, giving me the time to create some distance. Kakashi was caught off-balance, his shoulders passing his feet as he wobbled backward. 

Our eyes locked, and a smile planted on my lips. I was enjoying myself, something I hadn’t done in a while. This is what I lived for, the thrill of being a shinobi. The blood was rushing in my ears. This is what it felt like to be alive.

Kakashi was a formidable opponent, his taijutsu lightning quick, and if he used ninjutsu, I was sure that I would fail to keep up. His movements were barely discernible to my naked eye. At that moment, I felt blessed to have the Sharingan to fall back on; it was my upper hand.

“I think I should end this now, don’t you?” I mocked as my red-black eyes swirled to life. 

I rushed forward again, my eyes zoning in on Kakashi. This time, I would see what he would do before he did it. This time I would be ready for anything he was planning to throw at me. Well, anything except for what he actually did. 

Instead of deepening his stance or infusing chakra for a counter move, Kakashi’s hand came up to his forehead protector. His fingers slid under the fabric, and painfully slow, he pulled it off his covered eye so that it sat balanced on his head. A long, pink, vertical scar ran over the eye that was still closed, and it continued to run under the mask that hid the remainder of his face. Then, the eye opened.

“Shit.” My breath got caught in my lungs as I skid to an immediate halt.

I was blazingly staring at a three tomoe Sharingan, Kakashi’s Sharingan. The first thought I had was how he obtained it, but I didn’t have much time to ponder the possibilities as he was closing the distance. 

Amidst my daze, his first punch barely missed. His fist whizzed past my ear, and I could feel strands of my hair lift from the small gust of wind. By the time the second strike came round, I had shaken the surprise from me, and my concentration resurfaced. 

As his leg swung at my head, I dove into a tight roll and sprung up along his side, my fist aimed at his ribs. 

We were like that for a while, a blur of limbs lashing out but never making an impact. Although I could anticipate each move, Kakashi always seemed to anticipate mine at a much faster rate. Compared to my Sharingan, his were in a league of their own. 

I wasn’t getting anywhere with only taijutsu; I needed to amp up my game. 

As Kakashi’s leg came in for a sweep, I jumped far out of the way, weaving hand signs in the air. As my leg made contact with the spongy grass, my hands came together to form the last sign.

“Wind Style: Cloak of Wind!”

Kakashi’s voice synced with mine, and as the armor of wind encased my body, so too did Kakashi’s. 

Cloak of Wind wasn’t an easy jutsu to get the hang of. It took me ages to perfect it. Did he really know it as well? Or did he … I shook my head. There was no point in making assumptions. I had to test out my theory first.

I allowed the torrent of strong wind around me to disperse and began weaving signs in quick succession, my eyes never drifting from Kakashi. As my hands moved, so did he his, perfectly copying my movements. And as the words for the jutsu left my mouth, the same words left his. 

“Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu!”

Two large, fiery dragons emerged between us. Intense heat radiated off them, pressing harshly against my skin and coaxing out more blankets of sweat. Underneath, the grass singed and withered away into a circle of ash. If it weren’t for my eyes being able to see the glow of Kakashi’s chakra, everything would have been obscured by a mass of bright shades of orange.

I was right. Kakashi was copying my jutsu. There was no other logical explanation. How else could he pull off a random A-rank jutsu?

The dragon's roar ripped through the empty field, stirring nothing but the birds resting in the trees. They shot up in a panic and fluttered hurriedly away. The two monstrous blazes then lashed at each other, their fiery jaws grasping hold of the other before bursting into an explosion of heat. As the flames dispersed, large hot embers rained down on the battlefield, forcing me to weave in and out of them to avoid getting roasted. 

I realized that any jutsu I was going to do, Kakashi was going to copy me. It never occurred to me to use my Sharingan like that. I started to focus more intensely on Kakashi’s chakra flow so that I could mimic it, and when he began weaving signs, I did the same. Two could play at this game.

“Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

Out of the white clouds in front of me emerged four tangible copies of myself, squaring off against four Kakashi’s. They charged ahead in a horizontal line, kicking up a plume of dust as they threw a torrent of kicks and punches. However, in mere seconds, one after the after vanished as Kakashi’s shadow clones made short work of them. Obviously, I did not have the whole copy thing down-packed, but it was worth a shot. 

Under the white smog, as the clones poofed away, Kakashi, the real Kakashi, shot up at me. His fist was curled up tightly, the metal plate of his gloved knuckles glinting in the morning sun. I slid to the side and blocked the blow with my forearm but exposed my entire side by doing so. Quicky, I pivoted on my feet and sent out a backward spinning kick that was quickly brushed to the side by the knife of Kakashi’s hand. 

As the fight prolonged, the more I was able to see. Perhaps Kakashi was simply becoming more predictable, or maybe my Sharingan was actually anticipating more than they were before. I hoped it was the latter. 

We moved lightning quick, our bodies dancing along the field. Finally, we seemed evenly match, something I found quite surprising. I was more expecting to lose immediately, considering I hadn’t had the chance to train in a while. 

We lurched at each other, throwing simultaneous punches, both of which were caught in our opposite hands. Then, my eyes foolishly glanced at his. A second turned much longer as I watched the tomoe on Kakashi’s singular red-black eyes spin around. The sight was utterly mesmerizing, and I could feel myself fall deeper into his gaze. 

It was like the sensation of falling when you’re abruptly yanked out of a dream. Instead of a dream, it was a genjutsu, one which my Sharingan pulled me out of. By then, it was too late, and as I emerged back into reality, Kakashi’s foot swept my ankle from under me. 

I couldn’t stop myself from toppling backward; my feet had already left the ground. As my body fell in between Kakashi and the grass, my arm snatched up, and I grasped tightly onto Kakashi’s flak jacket. With all the strength I could muster, I pulled. It was easy to bring him with me since all my weight was crumbling downwards anyway. 

We hit the ground hard enough that clouds of dust flew up into the air. The impact had knocked some of the wind of me, and I wheezed for a moment as I tried to suck air back into my lungs.

The dust settled around us, but before either of us could move, my shadow clone, which I had created just before hitting the ground, came up behind Kakashi with the knife of its hand at his throat.

A large smirk rested on my face. “I win,” I declared. 

Unfortunately, those words were ripped from me as the clone, wearing the same grin, vanished unexpectedly. Behind it stood another Kakashi, dispersing before I even had the chance to gasp with surprise. 

“I think you mean I win,” Kakashi smirked triumphantly as he held a kunai against my neck. 

A groan escaped through my parted lips. I was sure I had won, but it looked like he saw through that too. Clearly, I needed a lot more training before I could even have a chance to beat him.

After a moment, I realized that Kakashi hadn’t moved. The kunai was still resting close to my throat. It was evident by the way his eyes grinned that he was basking in his victory and wanted to rub it in. However, I grew more aware of how heavy his body was and how close it was to mine. 

His rising and falling chest were so close that it was brushing gently against my soft breasts, and our hips were perfectly aligned. Through his mask, I could feel his hot, quick breath on my face as he panted lightly, which sent shivers down my spine, and I had to suppress a whimper as I caught a whiff of his earthy scent. If anyone came here to train and saw us like this, they would conclude that we were up to something that was anything but innocent. 

A scarlet blush crept to my cheeks. “You … you won.” I brought my hand to his chest and lightly pushed.

Kakashi’s mismatched eyes widened a little, realizing what we must have looked like. “Oh,” he exclaimed. A faint, pink blush brushed his cheeks, something I found to be rather cute, and he quickly heaved himself off me. After standing and putting his kunai back into its pouch, he offed me a hand to my feet, which I awkwardly accepted. 

I brushed the dirt that clung to my skin and clothes before filling in the uncomfortable silence that had manifested between us. “Kakashi,” I started, the red blush on my cheeks fading to a rosy pink. “Thank you. I think that’s exactly what I needed.”

“I thought so,” Kakashi said, easing into his lazy slouch. “Most shinobi don’t fancy being out of action for as long as you’ve been.”

I nodded in agreement. It was no mission, but training with Kakashi was the next best thing, and I was genuinely grateful to be able to spar with someone so strong. Haruki and Kitsune would have perhaps even a more challenging time keeping up to him than I had. That Sharingan of his was defiantly something to be reckoned with. 

“Well, I wouldn’t be envious of anyone who was fighting you for real,” I complimented.

Kakashi perked up a silver eyebrow at my compliment and his eyes creased pleasantly. “I wouldn’t sell yourself short. You almost took me off guard a few times, and you use the Sharingan rather well. Considering you also have Uchiha DNA inside you, you also have more stamina to maintain it for longer.”

Butterflies swarmed in my stomach at his remark, and I felt myself turn a little giddy. I didn’t know Kakashi for very long, but something told me that he sparingly gave out compliments. To hear him comment on my talents left a warm feeling in me that tinted my cheeks. 

“Speaking of which, I am curious about your Sharingan. Is there a story behind it?”

Judging by Kakashi’s distant expression and his eyebrows creasing into a hard line, that was a topic that was best left unbroached. I knew I shouldn’t push, but his severe reaction got me wanting to know all the more. I didn’t say anything; instead, I stared at him while shifting from left to right on my feet as I waited for an answer, assuming he would give one. 

Then I remembered what he had said back before we arrived in the Hidden Leaf, about him understanding my pain. Did his story have to do with it? Was it as painful as my memory of losing Kitsune and Haruki? If it were, I would be a hypocrite to ask when I wasn’t willing to divulge my past. 

“On second thoughts, you don’t have to tell me,” I said quietly. 

Kakashi raised his head, a smile present in his eyes. “No It’s alright,” he assured.

Dammit.

“Let’s just say it’s a promise, to never let my comrades die.”

I was right. Why did I have to be right? Even more so, how could you promise something like that? It’s not like I wanted Haruki and Kitsune to die, I would have done anything to save them, but it wasn’t in my power to choose. Even if I promised, they would still die. A promise isn’t going to make any difference; it’s not going to make one stronger. All it’s going to do is disappoint.

It wasn’t my business to say anything like I was thinking, so instead, I nodded and bit my tongue to stop it from saying something I would regret. I needed a change of topic or a distraction.

“Ready for another round?” Kakashi asked.

I smiled, thankful for the veer the atmosphere into something lighter. “Of course. But I won’t go easy on you.”

“I hope so.” Kakashi cocked his eyebrow mockingly. “It will make winning feel even better.”

By the time we called it quits, it was mid-afternoon, and the sun had warmed up significantly. The hot rays pressed on the back of my exposed legs and lower back as we walked through the main street in the village. Sweat glistened on my skin, and stray hairs had fallen out of my braid and fell around my face. On top of my unruly state, a thin veil of dirt was bushed over my clothes. 

I couldn’t have been happier. 

Kakashi walked beside me, head in his perverted book. Apart from his flak jacket being a little dirtier than usual, he didn’t look that much different. No one would have guessed that he had just spent hours training. 

I enjoyed today. Every other day I had was misery-filled, so I was glad for the change of pace. For a few hours, Kakashi allowed my mind to stop thinking about Kitsune and Haruki; I was able to be who I used to be for once. His company was surprisingly pleasant too, and I was a little disappointed to know my day with Kakashi was nearing an end. 

Even though I was getting some foul looks from strangers on the street, citizens and shinobi alike, I didn’t feel unwelcome as I would with Kakashi by my side. 

I stole a glance at him, a warm smile tweaking at the corner of my lips. Even with the silence between us, I felt comfortable, which was a vast contrast from the morning just past. When I thought about how I had shouted at him earlier, I couldn’t help but feel a twang of guilt. He certainly did not deserve my outburst. 

“Kakashi sensei! Kakashi sensei!”

We turned on our heels to find Naruto and Sakura waving us down as they ran down the length of the street to catch up to us. By the time they got there, they were panting heavily with their hands were resting on their knees as they sucked in the air. 

“Lady Tsunade wants to see us,” Sakura said after gasping in a few breaths. “Miyabi too.” 

My ears perked up to mention of my name. “Why me?” I asked.

“We’re not sure.” Naruto shrugged his shoulders. 

It was a little strange that the Hokage wanted to see Team Kakashi as well as me. It made little sense in my perspective. Was she going to scold Kakashi and me for going out training? Although that wouldn’t explain why Naruto and Sakura were there too. I continued to wrack my brain about what it could be, though I couldn’t come up with anything plausible.

“We were looking all over for you two,” Sakura sighed. “First, we went to the apartment, thinking you’d be there. Where were you?” 

She shifted her weight onto one leg, and her hands came up to meet her hips as she tapped her foot expectantly. She looked like an annoyed mother trying to get answers out of her children, which was ridiculous, seeming she was speaking to her sensei. 

“Just around,” Kakashi answered blankly.

Sakura’s lips then curved into a smirk while her eyebrows arched high onto her large forehead. “Like a date?”

My body turned rigid at the absurdity. Surely, they knew I was Kakashi’s mission. “Is it always a date when you go outside with someone?” I asked sarcastically.

“Well…” Sakura brought her finger to her lips as she paused thoughtfully. “It depends.”

“Wait!” Naruto shouted and ran closer to Kakashi with a goofy grin. His blue eyes sparkled. “Were you really on a date, Kakashi sensei?”

Naruto’s eyes then darted to me, drifting up and down my disheveled state. His grin got even more prominent, and my cheeks turned pink on their own accord as I thought what else it looked like we were up to. 

“No, Naruto,” Kakashi sighed tiredly. Before either Naruto or Sakura could continue teasing their sensei, Kakashi turned his back and continued walking in the direction of the Hokages building. “Come on. We shouldn’t keep Lady Tsunade waiting.”

Tsunade stared at all four of us over the large stack of paper on her desk. Her honey eyes brimmed over the sheet she was reading from, and then she messily threw it on the desk, along with the other scattered papers. Her cheeks were rosy pink, and I concluded it probably had something to do with the bottle of sake in front of her. Because no one else acknowledged the alcoholic drink that she obviously consumed, I figured that drinking was a frequent habit of hers. 

When her assistant, Shizune, came into the room to deliver another high stack of papers, she glanced over the Hokage’s shoulder at the beverage and scowled disapprovingly. “Lady Tsunade, you shouldn’t be drinking on the job,” she chastised. “I mean, look at all this work.”

Tsunade barely gave her a moment's glance, “It’s fine, Shizune. I’ll get around to it.”

“Only because I manage to keep you on track. I swear you’re going to be the death of me.” Shizune grumbled a few more things, which I could not catch as she walked out the door. 

“So, you wanted to see us, Lady Tsunade?” Kakashi asked.

“Yes,” Tsunade said, resting her manicured hands onto the desk. “I have just received word that the Anbu team I dispatched has returned.” 

My heart skipped a beat at the news, and I shifted on my feet anxiously. Did they find anything? Was there any trouble? Did they all return safely? I could barely hold onto my desperation.

It felt like a long silence fell over us. Tsunade drew in a weary sigh as her eyes cast onto me, a look of sternness on her face. “Your intel was correct.”

I let out a long-awaited breath that I didn’t know I was even holding. “What’s next?” 

“Since your departure from the Hidden Lake, they seem to have grown more careful. None of their shinobi are venturing far from the village. A halt on operations has been placed. For now, I want to monitor them, see what they do.”

So basically, she’s going to do nothing. 

I wanted so badly to slam my fist through that crowded desk at that moment. The only thing that stopped me was that I still needed them. I couldn’t possibly take on the whole Hidden Lake on my own. As badly as I wanted to scream at her, to pull her head in and look at the entire picture, I bit my tongue and nodded. 

Once I felt I had calmed a little, I spoke softly. “Is that wise?” I asked. “The longer we wait, the more power they could amass, and the larger threat they will become.”

“I am not going to get into a war if it’s not necessary!” she said with a much harsher tone, despite the quiet one I had wilfully used. She must have seen through my façade that I used to conceal my anger. “I have other important matters to focus on. If we put all our attention on the Hidden Lake, the Akatsuki could storm the gate without us being adequately prepared. I won’t take any chances.” 

I bowed slightly, still not content with her final decision. There was no benefit in making her angry. I needed Tsunade to be on my side.

“But Lady Tsunade, why did you call us here?” Sakura questioned.

Tsunade’s pink lips then pulled away from their rigidness into a smile as she fumbled around in the desk drawer. Finally, after a few seconds of rummaging, she pulled out a Hidden leaf headband that had been pinned onto a black cloth. She pushed it to the edge of her desk towards me. 

“There’s nowhere else Miyabi can go. It’s your decision, but I have elected to assign you to Team Kakashi from here on in as a Hidden Leaf shinobi.”

Tsunade smiled at my apparent dumbfounded expression. My gaze then trailed to Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi. As most of the time, Kakashi’s expression was unreadable, but Naruto and Sakura wore eager grins. I felt put on the spot. Did I accept? Decline? If I did accept, would it be assumed I was staying in the Hidden Leaf, never to step foot in the Lake again? 

I didn’t know how long I would be staying there, especially as the Leaf was waiting and observing what the Lake were up to. It could be months, maybe even years, before something happened. I knew I couldn’t be doing nothing for that long. A week was almost enough to drive me insane. 

Gingerly I reached for the headband and flipped it over in my hands. “Why assign me?” I asked skeptically. Indeed, there would be more trustworthy, fitting shinobi to act as the fourth member. Although my intel was accurate, which meant I was telling the truth, I still shouldn’t be trusted so quickly. However, if I were a part of Team Kakashi, that would mean an eye could be kept on me at all times. I bit the inside of my cheek, quickly cottoning on. That must be it. 

“I believe your talents would be especially suited in Team Kakashi,” Tsunade replied. “But as I said, it’s your choice.”

I think I already knew my answer from the start. That sparring match was a stark reminder of what I was meant to be doing, and I silently wondered if Kakashi had purposefully planned that so that I would say yes now. 

I brought the metal protector to my forehead and tied the cloth underneath my loose braid. The snapping sound of the tail ends as the knot tightened was audible. I nodded mutely at Tsunade for my final answer. 

“Excellent,” she breathed. “Now, I have Team Kakashi’s first mission as a four-man squad.”


	7. Chapter 7

I was the first one at the gate the next morning. The sun had barely risen past the trees, and the dark, lamp-lit streets were utterly empty. Kakashi had told us to be ready to leave at dawn. Since this was my first mission, I wanted to make a good first impression and thus arrived earlier than instructed. I was beginning to regret that decision. Even after thirty minutes, I was still left pacing back and forth in wait. 

A large, tiresome yawn pushed past my lips. I didn’t get much sleep the night before. The same memory plagued my dreams. I awoke in the small hours of the morning dripping in sweat and thrashing around in a panic, although it wasn’t as bad as the first night. This time, I understood that I had just woken from a dream and managed to calm down much faster. After that, I didn’t desire to go back to sleep and relive the memory again, so I got up and dithered about before making my way here. 

After another ten minutes ticked by, I began to wonder if I got the meet-up destination wrong. Or maybe I got the time wrong, and they already left without me. A bubble of anxiety wound up inside my gut as my eyes kept glancing in each direction, hoping that I might see Team Kakashi making their way towards me. Although the streets were still tranquil, a few shinobi were now on the move, probably to carry out their missions, which I still couldn’t do because my team was late!

This was ridiculous! I never had to deal with this level of tardiness from Haruki and Kitsune. 

“Hey, Miyabi!”

My head swished around in the opposite direction as I heard the sound of Naruto’s loud voice shouting after me. He was accompanied by Sakura, who was waving merrily at me as they approached. There was still no sign of Kakashi. 

“How long were you waiting for?” Sakura asked once they reached me. 

“Captain Kakashi said to meet at dawn, so I arrived fifteen minutes before then. He did say dawn, right?”

At what should have been an innocent question, Naruto and Sakura exchanged knowing looks before bursting into a tiny fit of giggles. The laughter wasn’t overboard, just a few short spurts of chuckles; however, I didn’t think what I said warranted any kind of humorous reaction. I swept my hand over my face, thinking that I might have something funny on it, but there was nothing except for the leaf forehead protector. “What’s so amusing,” I asked, a little annoyed at being left out of the loop. 

“Sorry, we’re not laughing at you,” Sakura reassured as the giggling died down. Her lips were still tweaked into a humorous smirk. “We’ve learned to accept that Kakashi sensei will always be late. We never turn up until about an hour past the time he says to meet up.”

Her answer somehow did not surprise me. I already knew he was a closet pervert, so would it really be that much of a stretch if he was unbearably tardy too? If it weren’t for his exceptional skills, I doubt he would be trusted to handle a team of his own. Even then, was it still a good idea to put him in charge of kids. He reads porn in public, for crying out loud!

“And it’s like this every mission?” I quirked up an eyebrow.

“Sure is,” Naruto affirmed. 

“You get used to it,” Sakura added. “Kakashi sensei will never change.”

“Wow, sounds like a great team leader,” I murmured sarcastically. 

“But he is really strong,” Naruto interjected happily, that trademark goofy grin stretching across his whiskered face. “Even if a little weird.”

“Like you can talk, Naruto.” Sakura let out a long sigh when she crossed her arms across her flat chest. Her eyes looked nearly as tired as mine, like being apart of Team Kakashi and dealing with the antics of Naruto was slowly wearing her down. How long would it take until I started feeling like that, I wondered. “I’m just glad we finally have a female on the team. Someone normal.”

I held back a scoff that threatened to appear. Normal wouldn’t be the first word I would use. The only thing Sakura got right was that I was female, last time I checked anyway. And from what I had witnessed, Sakura had no business to lump herself into the category of ‘normal,’ especially with her brute strength and terrifying mood swings that were almost always directed at Naruto. Between Sakura, Naruto, Kakashi, normal did not exist. 

“What’s this?” The sound of Kakashi’s voice behind us made us all twirl around. One hand was shoved into his pocket while the other gave a short wave. “Yo,” he said all too casually for a man that was an hour late.

I covertly rolled my eyes at him before facing him with a look of innocence that I found especially hard to maintain. I would have much preferred to shout at him for making me wait for so long, perhaps even land a fist on top of his stupid head. However, he was my captain now, and I was expected to show some amount of respect. I bit the inside of my mouth to prevent any unsavory words from coming forth. 

“You’re late, Kakashi sensei. Miyabi was here before dawn!” Naruto chastised at a loud volume. 

“You shouldn’t keep a girl waiting!” Sakura chimed in with a disapproving glare. 

It looked like I didn’t need to shout at him after all because the children were doing it for me. I pretended to look like I had no idea what they were on about, although I was secretly pleased with witnessing Kakashi get an earful. 

I shrugged my shoulders with a smile. “It’s okay,” I said in a fake cheery tone. 

‘First impression. First impression’, I continued chanting in my thoughts. 

“No, it’s not!” Naruto said, “you were just complaining.”

I fixed Naruto with a glare that screamed, “Shut up or else.” It was surprisingly effective and made him tight-lipped in a heartbeat. I couldn’t give myself all the credit, though, as Sakura inspired that look. I then turned my attention to Kakashi. He was scratching the back of his head sheepishly, and he slumped further to the ground. 

“Sorry for that,” he said embarrassedly. “I got lost in my thoughts.” 

“We all know that’s a lie, Kakashi sensei,” Sakura exhaled. “I was just telling Miyabi how you’ll never change.”

I figured that Kakashi could command some level of respect from his teammates, being the great copy ninja and all, but this was just pitiful. Here he was being picked on by teenagers, who had no shred of mercy against him. I felt a little sorry for him but then quickly remembered why he was being ganged up on. He absolutely deserved to be lectured, but it was unlikely that any good would come out of it from what I heard. 

“You guys were better when you were younger,” Kakashi groaned. 

I let out a small giggle at the scene unfolding before me. “As much as I find this highly amusing,” I teased, “I would love it if we could get a move on.”

Kakashi nodded in agreement at my request. “Okay, let’s go,” he said, turning to walk towards the village gates with the three of us alongside him. “We’re only after a few bandits who are camping out in the hills. It won’t take long to reach them, so don’t worry about moving fast.” 

“I can’t believe granny Tsunade gave as a stupid C-rank mission,” Naruto grumbled. “We’re more skilled than that.”

I gave him a warm, reassuring smile and tilted my head. “I don’t think she gave us one because of your skills, but because of me.”

After passing the gates, we ascended into the lush, leafy heights. We began traveling at a slow, relaxing speed, with the light wind slightly sweeping my hair against my face. Our mission, like Naruto said, was C-rank. We were to locate and capture a bunch of rogue bandits who had been making life miserable for travelers. 

Naruto transfixed me with a perplexed expression. “Aren’t you like jonin level?”

“I don’t think my skills have anything to do with her decision. She’s testing to see if I am a good fit for Team Kakashi and trustworthy.”

“I didn’t think you noticed,” Sakura said, coming up alongside us to be apart of the conversation. Kakashi was leading in front, not caring about what was being talked about behind him. Still, I wasn’t oblivious to the appealing sight that Sakura and Naruto overlooked. Even under his jonin pants, I could tell Kakashi’s rear was toned and firm, and I imagined the rest of his muscles would be the same. Once I noticed that I was blatantly staring at his arse, I shook my head to refocus. I really needed to get my mind out of the gutter. 

“I noticed,” I confirmed, trying to keep my eyes from wandering. “But I don’t always make that known. Sometimes it’s best not to say anything. People don’t always like it when you question them.” 

“Is that why you faked about being okay with Kakashi sensei’s lateness?”

I coughed a little at the question. Sakura was much more attuned to people than Naruto ever was. “I suppose so.”

“I have a question?” Naruto piped up loudly, causing Kakashi to swivel his head back at us for a short second. “What does it feel like to be a genin again? You were a jonin before.”

Harsh much. 

I looked at Naruto with a shocked expression, eyes slightly wider than usual. “I … um … never thought about that until now.”But now I definitely was. Thanks for that, Naruto! I liked being in my bubble of ignorance. 

“But now you’re the lowest rank member here.”

Does this kid have no filter? 

After a few more blank stares, I gave out a laugh at his boldness and naivety. “My skills as a ninja haven’t reversed to,” I retorted firmly, quickening my pace to catch up to Kakashi and away from Naruto’s unthought-out questions. I tilted my head back at him with a smirk. “I could give you a lesson on that if you’d like some time?”

My offer made Naruto’s eyes light up like a kid on Christmas day. “Deal,” he said, overly eager. 

“Just don’t kill him,” Kakashi chuckled. 

“No promises,” I said with a wink.

“We’re close now. I can smell them,” Kakashi said after two hours. We slowed down to his new pace, moving more carefully through the forest. 

“You can?” I asked, raising an eyebrow disbelieving. 

“Kakashi sensei has an impeccable sense of smell,” Sakura answered for him. 

“I’m sure you must come across many unpleasant smells.” I could only imagine what he must be smelling now. In my experience, bandits rarely had the scent of soap or anything close to appealing. Other than the smell of having not bathed for weeks, most always had odors of blood, muck, and unsightly bodily fluids. For Kakashi, I assumed the fragrance would be ten times worse. 

“Right now, it’s not great,” Kakashi said, affirming my thoughts. 

After a few more bounds, I started to feel very weak chakra signatures below us, and past the small gap in the leaves, I could make out a camp. There were three bandits, none of which noticed our presence as we stopped in the trees to observe. Although it was early afternoon, one was snoring loudly on his back. The other two were arguing about something and making wild arm gestures to reiterate a point. They were too chill, not even watching their backs for any enemies such as us. 

‘This will be easy.’ 

At Kakashi’s word, we made ourselves known. We jumped gracefully from the trees and formed a circle around the encampment. At the sight of four shinobi, the two awake bandits scrambled hurriedly to their feet. In their frightened state, they tried rushing towards the stack of blunt weapons near the smoking campfire, but before even a finger could graze one of the handles, Naruto and Sakura had already beat them to it and landed quick hits that knocked them out cold. The sound of the unconscious bodies thumping into the ground awoke the third and last with a start. His groggy eyes widened fearfully as he took in the view of his friends being bound by the wrists. 

“Good sleep?” I asked mockingly from behind.

The bandit let out a shout of surprise, and his fist swung back at me, which I grabbed easily. A content smirk played on my face as I stared at him tauntingly and spun his wrist around behind his back while holding the other. 

“Good try, though,” I said while binding his arms.

The man I had captured let out a cry of frustration, and he pathetically tried pulling away from my grasp, but I just drew him in harshly. He smelt even worse than I imagined, and I had to tilt my head out to capture some fresh air into my lungs. 

“That was easy,” Sakura said while throwing her captive bandit over her shoulder as though he weighed nothing.

“Looks like we’ll be back before dinner,” Naruto said with a grin while doing the same to his. “I can’t wait to have some Ichiraku ramen.” 

“Good job, everyone. We can start heading back now,” Kakashi complimented. He didn’t help, not that he needed to. He was happy enough to watch in the tree as we took down the bandits. It was classic Kakashi laziness. 

We couldn’t travel back as fast as we did earlier with the captive bandits. Instead, we were forced to walk on the forest floor. It would take over double the time to arrive back in the Leaf, but Naruto was filling in most of that time with constant talking. He kept on preaching about becoming the future Hokage. Other than that, he spoke at length about his extreme love for ramen. First, he ranked the different kinds of ramen. Then he ranked the different types of instant ramen before ranking all the ramen restaurants that he had visited. I learned a lot about ramen that day, and I don’t think I could ever look at it the same way again. 

“I really hate waiting for the ramen to cook in the cup, though,” Naruto continued. By now, I had managed to zone him out, and most of his talking had become white noise. 

Naruto wasn’t even the most annoying part of the trip; the most frustrating thing was continuously pushing my captive bandit along and having to deal with his disgusting smell. Every few minutes, he would grunt and dig his heels into the mossy floor to try and prevent me from moving him, and although he was easy to shift, that wasn’t the worst of it. The entire way, he kept whispering incredibly crude things to me, and I tried to ignore it and think about what I would do once I got to the village, but his bullshit was getting to me. Why couldn’t he just be a good prisoner that I didn’t have to pay mind to?

“Just move it,” I snapped finally as I gave him a particularly hard shove for stopping again. 

“I didn’t know you liked it rough,” he snickered. This time he tried to lean back into me, and I could have sworn I tasted some vomit as a little came up in my mouth. Just ignore him; he wants you to react.

“I must say, I am a little glad that such a sexy woman like you has made me her prisoner.”

Right now, I couldn’t promise this man would make it to prison alive. My grip tightened around his wrists until my knuckles began turning white. I knew all too well that men like him wouldn’t think twice about raping an innocent girl, and I felt deeply disturbed about all the women that may have come across this gang’s path. As a kunoichi, I never had to deal with something so frightening, thankfully, and any unwanted advances usually ended in a well-rounded punch. 

“You’re holding me too tight,” he yelped. “I bet I know what else is tight.”

“You should show your captor a bit more respect,” Kakashi intervened, coming up alongside me. He gave me a sorry look for having to deal with such an insufferable, disgusting letch. 

“Why? Do you want her? I’m willing to share.”

That’s it. I am done.

“Did you want me to take him off your hands?” Kakashi offered. 

I shook my head, a conniving smirk tugging at my lips. “No, it’s alright.” I then stopped walking, pulling the man to an abrupt halt. 

“Why are we stopping?” he asked while I walked around him. 

I mustered the most flirtatious smile I could as I answered. “Oh well, I thought we could have some fun,” I giggled while patting at his shoulder suggestively. The bandits near toothless grin grew big and his eyes dark and lustful. I gave Kakashi a knowing look, and he seemed slightly confused at what I was doing. Sakura and Naruto hadn’t even realized we had stopped and been a little way ahead. Then my eyes turned black-red, my tomoe spinning around captivatingly. 

“Sweet dreams,” I purred as the bandit’s eyes glazed over and his body slumped over my shoulder. 

We started moving again. The man’s body was heavy, but having him like this was better, and with a little chakra, I could manage to carry him. 

“I am going to assume you did not give him sweet dreams,” Kakashi said with a smirk. 

“No, more like hellish nightmares.”

I gave him a look of pride as we walked on and snickered to myself as I continued feeding terrifying experiences into the genjutsu dream. He’s going to wish I had killed him, but I suppose I can be content with letting him rot in prison. 

I exhaled out a heavy groan as I threw the weight of the captive bandit from my shoulder. After four hours of having him slumped over my body, my back was killing me, and my empty stomach started growling to be fed. 

“I don’t know about you guys, but I am starving,” I exclaimed while stretching out my shoulders as we left the prison where we had dumped the unconscious bodies. No longer were they our problem to deal with. The mission was tedious, but at least I was getting paid for it. 

“We should get some Ichiraku ramen!” Naruto beamed. He turned to Sakura and Kakashi pleadingly, like a young kid asking permission from his parents. Most of what Naruto did looked child-like.

Kakashi replied with a bored huff, while Sakura smiled sweetly. “Alright, but you’re paying,” she agreed. 

At her request, Naruto’s face faltered. “But I always pay,” he whined. 

“And you always suggest we get ramen. If I have to eat ramen every time, you should have to pay.” Sakura no longer used her sweet tone but rather something akin to annoyed. Her green eyes had a finality to them as they bore into Naruto’s expectantly. After the long, intimidating stare, Naruto sighed in defeat and nodded as we made our way to Ichiraku’s. I giggled silently to myself; it was apparent by the way Naruto gleamed at Sakura with his big, blue, innocent eyes that he was smitten with her. It wouldn’t take much for him to do anything to please. It was also abundantly obvious that Sakura harbored no such feelings and only considered him as a friend. Poor Naruto, here he was buying dinner for a girl with who he never had a chance with. 

Kakashi held the canvas flap aside for me to duck under, and I smiled at him in thanks as I took my seat next to Sakura. A young, brown-haired girl minded the counter, and she gave a welcoming expression as Kakashi sat on my right. “Welcome to Ichiraku,” she said mostly to me, the new face. “What can I get you?”

It was hard to decide what to eat. For me, it seemed the menu went on forever, and I was unsure what most of the items were. The Hidden Lake didn’t have places like this, except for a sushi store that was best left alone, unless one wanted death to come on a toilet bowl. “Umm, I’ll have a bowl of miso, please,” I finally decided once I noticed that everyone else had ordered and was staring at me awkwardly. 

“Good choice,” the girl smiled as she jotted down my order and passed it on to the big, old man who was cooking with a huge grin on his tanned face. 

“Ichiraku ramen is the best,” Naruto exclaimed, leaning past Sakura to talk to me. “You’re going to love it, Miyabi.” 

“I don’t doubt it,” I replied, taking in a whiff of the rich, mouthwatering aromas wafting in the air. The very smell of the delicious food caused my stomach to rumble. 

“So, how did you like your first mission as a member of Team Kakashi?” Sakura asked, quirking up a pink, inquisitive brow. 

‘Tedious, a waste of my skills, and unsettling.’ 

“It was okay,” I lied, forcing a fake smile. “I mean, it was a little easy, but I don’t think we have to take C ranks for long.” As long as I kept everyone on their good side, I hoped that B ranks would come our way soon. I should be thankful that Lady Tsunade didn’t assign a D rank. I don’t know if I could hold onto my dignity if I were forced to find a lost cat or do some older woman’s grocery shopping for her. 

“Just okay?” Sakura seemed unconvinced. “It looked like that bandit of yours was taking a liking to you.” She shuddered in disgust as she mentioned him. “If I were you, I would have broken something.”

Isn’t emotionally and mentally scar enough of a punishment? “Well, I got some satisfaction in the end,” I smirked just as the bowl of steaming ramen got served under me. I almost drooled at the sight of the copious amount of food and the enticing scent entering my nostrils. My fingers snapped the chopsticks apart hastily, and as soon as we said thank you for the food, the noodles were in my mouth where they belonged. I was unable to suppress my moan of delight as the robust taste danced on my tongue. “So good,” I groaned happily in between mouth fulls of food. 

Once I got used to the fantastic tastes, I glanced over to Kakashi next to me, who had barely said a word since we entered the village. His bowl was empty, and mask in place as though it was never removed. Did he inhale it? Absorb it into his skin? The way he could eat that fast so that no one could see his face did not cease to perplex me. He would at least have extreme heartburn, one would think.

“Don’t bother. You’re never going to see his face like that,” Naruto said. 

“Have you two seen it then?” I asked, hoping that they could at least describe it to me. 

“Nope,” Sakura said with a pop of the p. She shook her head with accepted defeat. “Every time we have tried, something or other would get in the way.”

“It’s like the work of something divine,” Naruto added just as glum.

I slumped my shoulders at their confession. So, it was a fool’s errand even to get a peek? What was so important that Kakashi felt he had to hide it? Maybe I was only allowed to imagine what could possibly be behind that mask. The way he sounded and held himself made me believe that his face had to be handsome, but maybe he hid it because it was horribly disfigured. 

Kakashi then let out a small chuckle. “Why is it so important. I mean, who cares what I look like?” 

“We care!” I yelled loudly. “I bet you hide it because you're secretly ugly. A face not even a mother could love.”

Naruto and Sakura snickered at my jab. “I still think he has blimp lips,” Naruto said as a matter-of-factly.

“Or buck teeth,” Sakura teased.

Even though we were outwardly mocking him, Kakashi was still as cool as ever, pretending as nothing fazed him. His downturned eyes look at us thoughtfully before creasing into an unperturbed smile. “You guys will never know,” he declared smugly. 

Now that sounded like a challenge. Naruto and Sakura were unable to succeed, but I was also much more skilled than they were. I am a ninja; part of that job description is to be sneaky. Even Kakashi has to let his guard down at some point. 

“I am going to head home,” Sakura said after we had finished. She stood up from the stool, and as she did, Naruto darted up with her. 

“I’ll walk you, Sakura.” He insisted, a little too enthusiastic. 

Sakura gave Naruto a weary look that showed she’d rather not have him tag along, but she just sighed as she pushed past the canvas flap with Naruto close to her heels. “If you got to,” she moaned. 

I smiled at their backs as they walked into the night and then stood up myself. “Guess I’ll go to.”

“Hmm,” was the only response I got from Kakashi, but when I moved, he got up beside me and headed in the same direction.

“You know I am perfectly fine getting home myself,” I assured. 

“My apartment is in this direction.”

“Oh …” I was a little embarrassed by having assumed. It was apparent now that Kakashi wouldn’t actually walk me home. He was too lazy for that kind of nicety. 

After a few hundred meters, Kakashi’s hand reach into his back pocket, and he pulled out that perverted book and dove his head into it while we walked. I let out an exasperated groan and folded my arms disapprovingly. Honestly, I swear all he ever did was read smut, and he never cared who he read it in front. 

“Do you have to read your porn right now?” I sighed.

His eye blinked over the page, and he stared at me with surprise. “It’s not porn,” He said, allowing his gaze to drift back to the words. 

I shrugged my shoulders at him and rolled my eyes. I couldn’t be sure if he believed his own words, or maybe he was into weird fetishes that made whatever was on the page seem tame. “Right…” I said sarcastically. I then walked a little closer to him and craned my head to see the page he was on. Because the sun had set, I was barely able to make out the words. “You wouldn’t mind reading some then?” I asked smugly. Even though I could only see some broken words, I concluded that what he was reading was definitely porn—some pretty explicit porn at that. 

“Huh?” Abruptly, Kakashi slammed the book shut and turned his attention back to me. His usually droopy eye was widened, a pink blush crept on his cheek. “N… no.” 

Kakashi wasn’t a man you could make stammer with embarrassment. He was always calm and laidback. Nothing fazed him. So, to see that I had made him blush fuelled me with more confidence, and my smirk stretched even further. He was so adorable when he blushed. 

“Why not?” My voice dripped with humor. 

The first time I saw what Kakashi was reading made me beyond embarrassed and, if I was being honest, a little turned on. Still, since being around him, seeing him read that book with every chance he got, I became accustomed to his dirty habit. I no longer blushed furiously at the sight of it. It still annoyed me to no end how he would always have his nose buried in something so taboo, and if no one else was going to say something, I might as well do it. Besides, I was enjoying watching him squirm.

He was silent for a moment. We had stopped walking, and my hands were on my hips triumphantly as I tapped my foot, waiting for what I anticipated to be an amusing response. Maybe he’ll think twice about reading that infernal book in plain view. So, when his blush faded back to his normal skin tone, and his tiny fidgets ceased, I began to lose my resolve, and my heart fluttered involuntarily. 

He wasn’t meant to do that. 

Kakashi eased back into his relaxed composure. He stood up and walked closer to me and leaned so that his mouth was almost brushing my ear.

“We wouldn’t want a repeat of last time,” he whispered darkly.

My entire being shuddered when his masked lips brushed against the shell of my ear as he spoke, and then he leaned back and gave me a closed-eyed smile.

Shit. He knew. 

He knew what had happened that first time when I stole a glance. I was under the impression he was completely oblivious, but not only that, he knew the effect it had on me. Here I was trying to make Kakashi squirm, but instead, the bastard turned it around on me. 

My mouth felt dry, and my heart was beating frantically. Every inch of skin burned. I went to open my mouth, but there was nothing but thick silence between us. 

My muscles resembled jelly, and I hard time keeping myself upright, especially as my thighs quivered to the slow, painful throbs between them. It then dawned on me that my captain, Kakashi, was able to turn me on, to get me sexually aroused, and with it came a wave of conflicting emotions. 

This time was different because it wasn’t the words on some smutty book that had aroused me but actually Kakashi. If he could accomplish that with some words, a change in register, and brush of his lips against me, what else was he capable of?

He was my captain, for fucks sake! I shouldn’t be able to justify how much I enjoyed the way his low voice vibrated through my body or the way his warm lips brushed against my ear. 

Kakashi stood away from me, utterly pleased with himself. His book was once again open and in front of his face. Without him being so close, I could look at things with a clear head, and I wasn’t sure what to think. I didn’t feel anything for Kakashi; I barely knew him. Sure, he was attractive, even with the mask, but that’s as far as any feeling I had went. I jotted my reaction down to not having had the attention of any man in a while, and Kakashi was first to make himself known. I doubt that he even meant anything by what he just did. He just didn’t like me having the upper hand and telling him off. He was such a proud arse. 

“You’re a jerk,” I finally growled. I stormed at him and slapped his chest with a hard thud, but he gave me little satisfaction other than a shallow grunt. 

“Hmm, maybe. But if I recall, you started it.”

What I started was utterly different. It was only meant to be innocent, playful at most, but he turned it into something rather crude. I still wasn’t entirely sure whether that was a good thing. No! It was absolutely a bad thing. To have it as anything else would mean I was just as much of a pervert as him. 

“I did not!” I seethed. “You’re the one who had to make it dirty?”

He raised a teasing eyebrow at me. “That’s a bit of stretch, Miyabi.”

“Don’t do that!”

“Do what?”

“Make it seem like my fault.” I crossed my arms and pouted, which made Kakashi laugh at me.

“You get flustered too easily,” he chided playfully. “Like a virgin.”

“I am not a virgin!” Oops to loud. As soon as I shouted, people in the street stopped what they were doing to stare at me with dumbfounded expressions before shaking what they had heard and moving on. Kakashi looked at with more amusement than he had earlier. 

I wasn’t a virgin, though I also didn’t let on that I was inexperienced and had only fumbled around in the sheets a couple of times. Besides, what did he care? It was none of his business. I bet he didn’t tease Sakura and Naruto like that; then again, they were teenagers, and I was an adult. Haruki used to taunt me just the same, but it hit different coming from Kakashi. With Haruki, I could retaliate with even more bite, but here I was, a bumbling mess. 

I swallowed the growing lump in my throat. “No wonder Naruto and Sakura don’t give you respect. You’re a pervert. Just as bad as that bandit I had to deal with today.”

Kakashi didn’t seem to disagree. Instead, he hummed in agreement. “But way more charming and better looking,” he said with a smirk in his voice. 

“It’s easy to say that when you have no one to attest to your allegedly good looks.” 

I rolled my eyes at him and continued on the path, the heat on my skin dying down a little. Kakashi was unperturbed by the silence that had fallen over us, but I was still left feeling mildly uncomfortable. I shouldn’t overthink it. Kakashi meant nothing by it other than to piss me off. If I hadn’t brought up the book, he would have barely spoken a word to me. He only said those things to make me more uncomfortable than I was making him. Now that my body was calming down, I grinned at the exchange. Well played, Hatake, but I wouldn’t soon forget it.

“I’ll see you later, captain,” I said, veering onto another street that would take me home. He barely looked at me, and for a moment, I thought he didn’t hear me or see me stop. However, before I turned away to continue, I caught sight of his hand fly up in a wave, even though he didn’t turn back.


	8. Chapter 8

A few weeks had gone by since that mortifying experience with Kakashi. I was delighted to declare that Team Kakashi had finally graduated beyond dull C rank missions, where some B rank ones had fallen into the mix. I was beginning to enjoy my time with the three of them and had grown quite fond of both Naruto and Sakura, despite their many quirks. We were starting to find our footing as a four-person team. Even Naruto’s loud and boisterous personality was growing on me, and I seldom became irritated by it anymore. Besides, Sakura had shown me some tricks on tuning him out when he became too much. If that didn’t work, she also taught me how to shut him up, most of the ways being a little too violent for me to consider them as options. Perhaps I was just what was needed for a team, someone to protect Naruto when Sakura morphed into monster mode. 

I was even enjoying my time with the infamous pervert, Kakashi. A repeat of that embarrassing event had not returned, though, that didn’t mean we still didn’t seek to mock and tease each other on a daily basis. And if I was honest with myself, I both was thankful and disappointed by the lack of less than innocent banter. I wasn’t entirely sure why I was downhearted about the change, either that or I didn’t want to admit that it secretly drew me in. The exchanges certainly got my heart beating wildly. The only time I got that was on high adrenaline-inducing missions. Indeed, that must be the reason. I wasn’t attracted to Kakashi; I was drawn to how my body responded, which was very akin to danger. In any case, the playful banter was better than nothing, if not refreshing. 

The longer I was apart of Team Kakashi, the more I became like Naruto and Sakura, showing little outward respect for my captain. I tried to stop myself at first by holding my tongue or pinching my skin, but the more missions and training sessions I partook in, the more my willpower dwindled. There were just too many things about Kakashi that irked me: his arrogance, his tardiness, his perverseness, and the fact that he was perfect at everything he did (though I never let him know that I thought that). 

Team Kakashi was my crutch, a way for me to get out of my head. I used them as a distraction. When I was with Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi, I didn’t think of Haruki and Kitsune. When I was alone was a different story altogether. That’s when my mind wandered. That’s when my emotions came flooding back. For weeks, I had scarcely slept. Those dreams were beginning to have a toll on my body and had caused me to make an almost grave mistake. On our last mission, we were to take into custody a team of rogue shinobi. I made a misstep, and If it weren’t for Kakashi, I would never have made it back to the Leaf alive.

Even with all his faults, Kakashi never ceases to fail when it comes to essential things. 

A grin spread across my perspiring face as I hurled the shuriken at their intended target. As they spun in the air, I made the vital signs for a fire jutsu that engulfed them in searing, hot flames. As the burning shrunken roared through the air, I moved to my next jutsu, a wind-style jutsu, which increased the shuriken’s speed and amplified the fire into a terrifying blaze. At a blinding speed, the shuriken zoomed at the stationary log. It tore straight through it, the red flames licking at the inside of the hole left behind, spreading further and further until the entire log was surrounded. 

I was up before the sun, unable to fall back to sleep after the same dream I had night and night again revealed itself. After hours of tossing and turning, I relented to the reality that I wouldn’t get any more rest. Before anyone else was awake, I made my way to the training grounds to work on my new jutsu; the end results now finally coming into view. 

A weary yawn stretched my mouth open as I slumped my back against the soft, mossy grass. The blaring afternoon sun was high in the sky and warming my exposed skin. I needed a break, just a small one, and then I would get back to training. For just a second, I would close my eyes to block out the blinding light of the sun. 

“Slacking off?”

I jerked in fright to the intrusive voice. My eyelids snapped open, and I found it hard to adjust to the darkness around me. In confusion, I looked around, my fingers fumbling at the damp grass beneath me. The only light was the one the faint white one provided by the near-full moon. I stared up, my eyes adjusting slowly in the unexpected dark, and I saw Kakashi leaning over me with a teasing smirk in his eye. 

Crap! I must have slept for hours for it to be night-time already. An understandable reaction would be to be ashamed of having slept the day away in a field instead of training, but all I was, was pissed off. I was having such a good, dreamless sleep. My eyes zoned in on Kakashi with a groggy glare.

“You don’t look happy,” he pointed out.

“I’m not. You took me from my nap,” I sighed in frustration, laying back down onto the comfy grass, unwilling to move.

“And you say I’m lazy.”

“You are.”

A loud yawn then tore through my body, one which I couldn’t mask. After the yawn, I groaned and closed my eyes, trying to block Kakashi out. I was tired, so, so tired. 

“Maybe you do need the sleep,” he said with a tone of concern. “You haven’t been at a hundred percent lately.”

I peeked an eyelid open, looking at him with a glower. “Are you referring to our last mission?”

“Maybe. Are you still having those dreams?”

Was it that obvious? I groaned outwardly. I suppose it was, with my wobbly movements, my droopy eyelids, and the darkened circles that grew darker each day. Kakashi was very perceptive. Of course, he would notice my declining state. “Perhaps,” I replied just as vague. 

“You know …” Kakashi paused for a moment to try and find the right words that he was about to speak. “If you ever need to talk …”

“No.”

I was dealing with it, kind of. As long as I had training and missions, I could cope. As long as my mind was occupied, I didn’t need anything else. Eventually, as long as I kept myself distracted, the dreams will go. It was only a matter of time. I did not need to talk. Talking wasn’t going to help. If anything, it would make matters worse. 

I thought I had picked up on Kakashi muttering something about my being stubborn. He took in a frustrated sigh, “If you say so,” he said. 

I closed my eyes again. Even though the grass was damp now, and my back was a little cold because of it, I couldn’t bring myself to move. My body felt so heavy with weariness. I could still sense Kakashi looming above me, but I paid him no mind. If I ignored him long enough, he would get the hint and leave me to my own devices. 

After a moment passed, he cleared his throat. “Are you planning on spending the night here?”

“Yep,” was the only answer he got, and I didn’t even both to open my eyes to him.

“You’ll get a cold.”

I scoffed at this. I was a shinobi, who I had endured worse conditions compared to this. And I was so comfy. Would he really be that cruel as to drag me away from my happy place?

“Are you leaving yet?” I groaned.

“No.”

I growled under my breath as I begrudgingly opened my eyes and heaved myself up. “You’re such a prick, captain,” I said as I was standing. I got up too quickly, and as I straightened, my eyesight turned dark and fuzzy. My feet swayed, and I leaned too far to the side as I attempted to stabilize myself. The falling sensation did not last long because I felt my waist became wrapped in Kakashi’s arms. Slowly, I blinked the blurriness away and stared into his grey eye. My cheeks became tinged with pink at my predicament, and my heart fluttered within my chest. 

“I stood up too quick,” I said softly.

“I noticed,” he smiled lightly at me, which only served to make my body warmer.

His arms around me were so firm and comforting. I wasn’t very fond of hugs, but I kind of wished to stay in the warm embrace. I imagined that once I was free from his bodily heat, everything else would be chilly in comparison. Stuck in my daze, my fingers absentmindedly brushed against the bulge of Kakashi’s bicep, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from the man who caught me. His body wasn’t an extreme mass of muscle like some shinobi I had crossed. He was leaner, but as my fingers ghosted over his arm, I definitely found the evidence of hard years of training. I wasn’t even aware of what I was doing until Kakashi cleared his throat nervously. I blinked from my enchanted state, my fingers stopping in their course. I felt the burn in my ears as they turned just as red as Kakashi’s, and I hurriedly pulled away from his grasp and backed few steps away from him. Neither of us acknowledged what had just happened.

“I was actually looking for you,” he said, his tone not betraying any embarrassment.

“What for?”

“Lady Tsunade has a mission for us.”

I stared at him with a look of confusion evident in my muddy orbs. “As in just you and me?” I asked.

Kakashi nodded in confirmation. “Yes. The mission calls for a level of secrecy.”

My skin tingled nervously at his answer. Naruto wouldn’t do well on a stealth mission for apparent reasons, but could we have at least brought Sakura along. I gulped back the feeling of anxiety brewing inside. “What’s the mission?”

“I’ll tell you once we head out. Be at the gates by 6 am. We might be gone for a few weeks, so pack accordingly,” he ordered. He then gave me a two-finger wave before vanishing with a teleportation jutsu.

I grumbled to myself as I made my way back home. It wouldn’t be nearly as bad if I went on a mission with only Sakura; heck, even Naruto would be a better alternative than Kakashi. He was fine with those two acting as a buffer, but he always seemed to make me nervous when it was just him, or I would do or say something to embarrass myself, just like I did earlier. What would I do to compromise myself while on the mission, where we could be away from the village for days? I shuddered, thinking about all the things that I could do wrong. I never really cared what others thought about me, but that mindset seemed to leave me when I was around him. When he was near, I wanted to impress, to show how capable I was as a kunoichi. I still didn’t know why I wanted his approval. Perhaps it was because of his infamous reputation; that’s what I wanted to believe anyway. 

As I predicted, the alarm got up after me. It was another restless night full of terrifying dreams. I rubbed the sleepiness from my eyes and looked out the bedroom window. The sun was beginning to peek over the hills, and I was greeted with a vast blue-grey sky, the morning light painting the fluffy clouds vibrant pink. 

I wasn’t happy to see the lovely view because the morning's rise marked the start of my mission. I dragged my feet as I shoved everything I would need into my pack. The last item I threw in was my hairbrush after having dragged it through my brunette locks. After a day of travel, it would no doubt be a tangled mess by night. 

I settled on a high neck, sleeveless top paired with a black skirt and shorts. I sluggishly pulled on my navy sandals and then headed out the door while quickly scoffing down a granola bar, knowing I may not get a chance to eat for a few hours. 

I was surprised, to say the least, when I saw Kakashi leaning casually against the gate. I hadn’t expected to see him on time, and since I was an hour late, I was piqued to know how long he had been waiting.

I dragged my feet a little as I approached him. “Morning, captain,” I said while managing a cheery tone. I noticed he had his head buried in Make Out Paradise, per usual. 

His eyes drifted to me with a dull look. “You’re late, Miyabi,” he said, sounding slightly annoyed. 

I rolled my eyes at him. Perhaps, if it were anyone else, I would have felt guilty, but this was Kakashi, the man who made the term ‘late’ his own. “Sorry,” I said in a fake apologetic tone, “I guess I got lost on the path of life,” I smirked at him from under my lashes at having used one of his own bullshit excuses against him. 

At my snideness, Kakashi gave me an eye crease and a small chuckle. “I guess I deserved that,” he admitted. “Ready to go?” I nodded silently, the butterflies swarming in the pit of my stomach again. I swallowed hard on the nervousness as we walked past the gates and into the bright green canopy.

“Are you going to explain to me what our mission is now?” I asked, pushing forth from a tree to travel next to Kakashi.

“Yes,” he said, keeping his eyes fixed in front of him. “We’ve been assigned an A-rank mission.” A smile I couldn’t control pulled at the corners of my mouth. Perhaps this mission wouldn’t be so bad after all, even if I had to do it with only Kakashi. No wonder Sakura and Naruto couldn’t partake. An A rank would surely still be out of their league.

I listened attentively as Kakashi explained the mission to me in full. The assignment came from the mayor in a bustling night-life city in a neighboring land. Recently, there had been many disappearances of young women ranging from the ages of 24 to 13. Women of all professions were going missing, prostitutes, students, bartenders, teachers, doctors, nurses, you name it. As long as they were alone and attractive, they were a target. A warm flutter was felt in my stomach, knowing that I was trusted enough now for more high-stake assignments. 

It didn’t take too much brainwork to conclude what was most likely happening; the most logical course was to assume sex trafficking. I gulped back the sensation of wanting to puke as Kakashi explained, especially as he told me that even young girls not even of age were being taken. No one knew where they were going; there were no leads, nothing to aid in an investigation. This meant that whatever organization that was responsible probably had the assistance of freelance or rogue shinobi. The mission probably would have been B rank if it weren’t because the Leaf wanted to maintain good relations with the country. 

“Ok …” I said, a little apprehensive after he finished, “and you got me to tag along because you want to use me as bait?”

“Well, Sakura is a bit young to be going on this type of mission, but you’re in the age range. How old are you again?”

“21,” I sighed, “so I suppose I’ll do quite nicely.”

We traveled for a while in silence before Kakashi started discussing the plan upon arriving in the city. “It will take a day before we cross the border. Once we cross, we need to assume the guise as civilians.” I nodded in agreement. A disguise for me would be easy, but I was afraid that he might be noticed because of Kakashi's reputation. I wagered fewer people would recognize him if he abandoned the mask, but I doubt that he would ever go to such extremes. “When we’re in the city, we must keep out contact with each other to a minimum in public. We need to make it look like you’re alone, so you look like a desirable target.”

“And what’s your part in all this?” It seemed to me like I would be doing all the work, and per usual, Kakashi would take the time to lounge about and catch up on some porn. 

“I’ll be acting as backup in case anything goes wrong.”

I fought to keep from sighing as I nodded. “And it doesn’t have anything to do with making sure I am a good girl for the Leaf?”

“No, there’s more to it,” he said flatly. “I’m sure as a Hidden Lake shinobi, you’ve gone on many A and some S rank missions, but as a Hidden Leaf shinobi, this is your first A-rank mission. It’s only logical to send some backup.” 

I still wasn’t convinced, and what Kakashi gave me was a rehearsed excuse. He would never outwardly tell me that I still wasn’t trusted, not that he needed to. Besides, Team Kakashi, I got dirty glares from most people I passed in the streets, and no one was ever far from me on missions outside of the village. “Fine. But I assure you it’s not needed.”

We were traveling at a brisk pace for many hours, barely stopping for a food pill break. However, even despite our quick movements, nightfall had already come by the time we reached the old, wooden inn close to the border. In fact, the inn was so old that it didn’t even have electricity, and an array of candles lighted the inside. The elderly women’s wrinkled face at the counter lit up as we entered, as though she hadn’t seen a guest in some time. Her kind eyes lingered mostly on Kakashi when she handed us the keys to our rooms, and I giggled to myself at her obvious attraction to him. Because of his silver hair, she probably thought that he was much older than he was. As we left her at the counter, Kakashi gave her charming eyes crease and thanked her again for her hospitality, causing her face to light up even further to his friendliness, which could easily be mistaken as flirtatious. 

“I’d be careful, captain, just in case she ends up proposing,” I joked as we headed up the creaking stairs onto the second floor. 

“Huh? I was just being nice,” he said, bewildered by my humor. 

“And your nice always has some effect on poor, unsuspecting women,” I laughed, recalling all the times he accidentally had women swooning over him while on missions. 

“Does it affect you?”

I choked on nothing at his bold question and glanced up at his singular dark eye looking down over me. By the way, his mask had wrinkles around the mouth area indicated he was smirking, the smug bastard. At his insinuation, my ears flared red, which may have answered his question, but I wasn’t giving him that kind of satisfaction. Kakashi definitely did not need an ego boost. I took in a breath to center myself and allowed the heat in my face to die. Somehow, I managed to keep a straight face. “You wish,” I said and poked out my tongue playfully. I turned the other way in the hallway that came up and arrived at the door to my room. I gave Kakashi a small wave. “See you in the morning,” I said before turning the key in the lock to let myself in. I closed the door behind me and let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding. 

Maybe Kakashi did have some effect on me, more than I wish to admit.

The dimly lit room was rather shabby. It was small, mostly dark, and a musky scent lingered unpleasantly in the air. The tiny, single bed was on the side of the room with a severely marred table next to it and a dripping candle on top. Even before my fingers touched the bedding, I knew the feeling would be rough and crusty, and I would be better off sleeping in some extra layers on top of the sheets. Off to the side was a small bathroom with a copper, claw-foot tub and an unlit fireplace under it. The only luxury I could find that existed in the room. At least I would be able to wash up after the long journey, I thought. 

It took a while for the water to heat, but once I submerged myself into the steamy water, I instantly noted that the wait was worthwhile. My skin tingled pleasantly to the warmth, and I leaned as deep as I could, my nose brimming on top of the surface, and let out a content sigh. I wished I could stay like that all night, the steam lofting above me and the hot water easing my achy muscles. Unfortunately, after a while of barely moving and watching the ripples form under my nose as I breathed, the comfortable temperature turned tepid. I resigned myself to quickly washing the grime and sweat from my body before leaving the bath that was now causing goosebumps to dot my naked body. I watched as the water whizzed down the drain before stepping off and drying myself with the fluffy pink towels I had packed for the trip. Then, I changed into a loose-fitting shirt and shorts and then a shinobi robe for warmth. 

Like most nights, I lay in bed, fighting against the sleep, for I knew once it took me, the dreams would soon come. I was losing that battle quicker now because of the weariness capturing my body. Soon, I was fast asleep and trapped in that common torturous dream that would wear me down more than the day before.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next few will be mentioning a heavy topic that may be triggering for some people. The topic is sex trafficking and involves minors.

By now, I accepted that restless nights would be a frequent occurrence. I jumped awake with the feeling of a strained, burning throat, and I concluded that I must have been screaming through the dream. Luckily for me, the inn was almost abandoned, spare for the old lady tending it and Kakashi down the hallway. For a few hours, I laid on my back staring at the moldy ceiling, lost in thought as I reminisced. First, I envisioned the happier days with my old teammates, the ones where we would train for hours on end, challenging our progress or when we went on highly successful missions. However, as the memories traveled further along, the thoughts turned dark. I thought about the strain placed on me by the village, the failed missions that would increase the pressure until eventually, I was thinking of that day once again. Before I let myself draw the memory to its end, I flopped to my side and slid out of bed, my bare feet landing onto the dusty floorboards. The sun was beginning to rise, and faint orange peeked through the thin curtains. A light knock then resounded through my room; I could sense Kakashi standing on the other side of the door. “Is everything okay?” He asked.

“Yeah,” I said back, no hint of grogginess in my voice that showed I had been awake for a while. “Why wouldn’t it be?” There was silence on the other end, and then Kakashi sighed in response.

“I want to leave soon,” he said. “Be ready in ten.” I then heard his footsteps travel along the corridor, getting quieter until I could listen to nothing but the birds chirping outside.

He was starting to appear to be too concerned about me for such a lazy, carefree man. I clenched my teeth at my observation. I wasn’t some fragile woman who needed to be carefully monitored in case I broke. Even if I did break, I was perfectly fine sweeping up the pieces myself. Kakashi probably thought that because he was my captain that he had some sought of responsibility over me. I could understand, for I was familiar with that feeling myself, but I just wished I could show him that he had nothing to worry about. 

I hurriedly rushed to get myself ready, using a damp cloth to wipe away any of the sweat I had made as a result of my restless sleep. We would be crossing the border that day, so I opted to wear civilian clothing, a dull green yukata. I messily stuffed my Hidden Leaf headband into my backpack. I pulled my hair into a messy ponytail before briskly walking out of my room, down the stairs, and out the inn where Kakashi was already waiting, sitting casually in a tree. Like myself, he had disguised himself as a civilian, wearing a light blue collared shirt and white pants, with bandages covering the remainder of his arms that the shirt didn’t reach. Without his headband to hold up his silver hair, I noted that it was handsomely disheveled as it hung around his forehead. He still looked a little out of place with his mask and scar running across his left eye, but he was mostly inconspicuous. “You look tired,” he blatantly said, dropping out of the tree to land next to me. 

I was quick to brush him off. I was tired of people telling me how I looked like shit. “No more than usual.”

By the time we were on the move, the sun was high in the sky, but the fluffy white clouds had obscured most of its light and cast a dull, depressing grey on my surroundings. We were able to travel as shinobi for a little while longer while we were still in the Land of Fire. Once our feet passed into the neighboring land, the Land of Fang, we were forced to come out of the trees and travel by slow foot on the gravelly path. As we continued, I noted that the ground was considerably sloshy under my feet due to the recent downpour. Mud was creeping over the top of my sandals and oozed under my heel and between my toes, resulting in an unpleasant and gross sensation. If we could travel as ninja, the journey to the city would have been quick and less than a day, but as it was, we still had two days’ worth of travel with no buildings, let alone inns in sight. 

“It would be a smart move if you used a transformation jutsu to disguise yourself while you’re with me,” Kakashi said. “We don’t want to risk anyone recognizing you once we’re in Narashiki. If anyone asks, we’re husband and wife.” I gaped at him wide-eyed, and my face turned a flustered shade of pink. “Don’t give me that, Miyabi,” he said, quick to stop me from rejecting his orders. “It’ll make us appear less suspicious. Besides, I doubt we will run into anyone anyway.”

He was right, of course. God! Kakashi was always right, and I hated him for it. I nodded meekly and did the hand signs for my transformation jutsu. As the white clouds dispersed around me, I gave him a mischievous grin. The ground beneath was a little closer, and my now shiny blonde hair, in two high ponytails, was much longer and cascaded down to the small of my back. My torso felt heavier too, notably around my chest area. I looked at Kakashi with wide, innocent, blue eyes. “That looks awfully familiar,” he said, trying to rack his brain around about who I might look like. I giggled girlishly at his observation in a higher voice compared to my own.

“It’s inspired by Naruto’s sexy jutsu,” I laughed. “He used it against me in a sparring match. Strangely effective. Now you can imagine yourself married to Naruto!” I skipped teasingly in front, giggling at the way Kakashi’s eye bugged out of his head at what I said. 

“You’re a cruel woman!” He shouted after me. I pretended not to listen, focusing on the trot in my step with my breasts bouncing with each merry stride. 

Soon the sun began to set, coloring the clouds a lovely pastel pink. Kakashi was first to notice how full the clouds looked and that rain wouldn’t be far behind. We stopped after that to make camp, and as Kakashi went in search of firewood, I pitched up the tents to serve as shelter from the harsh weather to follow. The fire was very much needed because the air had a sharp chilly bite, which made me tremble under my yukata. If it weren’t for the sure downpour, I would have preferred to sleep close to it, snuggled neck-deep in the sleeping bag. 

It didn’t take long for Kakashi to return with a bundle of small sticks and leaves in hand, and soon he had the fire roaring and warming my goose-bumped skin. I heaved a sigh of relief as I leaned back on a log I was perched on, blonde hair rolling down my back. I plopped a food pill in my full-lipped mouth and began chewing thoughtfully. I should probably start thinking about my disguise for once I was in the city. It had to be convincing enough for my targets to believe I was no threat to their operations. 

I decided that I was visiting the city from a small village within the country. I wanted to experience the extravagances the Narashiki had to offer, things that weren’t offered in my humble home. I wanted to see the nightlife, let my hair down, and be on my own with no one that would worry about me. I wanted to taste freedom. 

I then thought about the details of this woman’s life, her village name, if she had a family back home, her occupation, her interests. By the time the first droplet hit my face, I had envisioned a whole new, fleshed-out life. A life that I bet I would be happier than the one I was trapped in.

As more rain leaked from the sky, Kakashi offered first watch, but I declined, declaring that I would be fine to keep an eye out. “That wasn’t a suggestion. If you saw your face, you’d agree with me,” he said in a strong authoritative tone. “If not for yourself, get some rest for the sake of the success of the mission.” 

“I said I’m fine,” I snapped. “I don’t need to sleep.” Even if I did, I wouldn’t get it. It was as simple as that. I stood up to make my way to a tall tree to watch over the campsite, but as I wandered over to it, Kakashi stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. 

“I’m sorry about this,” he said, spinning me around and unveiling his Sharingan. I felt too weak to fight the trance overcoming me as I watched the tomoe dance around in a circle. My feet came from under me, and my eyes were blanketed in a sheet of black. No dreams came to me that night, only a deep sleep, and when I emerged from my slumber, my body was invigorated with the energy I had not obtained for some while. As I awoke, I noticed Kakashi had put me inside the tent, the sleeping back wrapping my body up to my chin. The transformation I maintained the night before was broken, and before I crawled out, I put it back into place. 

Kakashi already had the rest of the camp cleaned up, and he was waiting for me patiently, probably not wanting to wake me up until my body was ready. As I came out, his creased eye landed on me with a welcoming greet. “Sleep well?” he asked, although he already knew the answer. If I weren’t so tired, his genjutsu would not have worked on me, something he must have been aware of; otherwise, he never would have resorted to using it.

“That trick you pulled wasn’t very fair.”

“You don’t seem too angry about it.”

I tried to appear mad, but even my voice couldn’t hide the chirpy sound as I spoke, and my body language was all wrong; it exhumed joy. I should be angry at having been forced to sleep, but truthfully, I was grateful at having been spared a night of horror, even though I was too stubborn to accept the help willingly. Kakashi was just as stubborn as I, that’s why he decided to take the matter into his own hands, and he could get away with it because he was the captain. “I want to be,” I replied while taking down my tent and putting both it and my sleeping bag away.

“You left me little alternatives,” Kakashi said defensively. 

I shrugged my shoulders. I knew he meant well and what he did was best for the mission outcome, so I could scarcely blame him for what he did. If it were me in his position, I probably would have done the same thing and shown a lot less patience. “Just try and not make a habit out of it.”

“As long as you promise to take care of yourself.”

I froze at his request, the backpack I was slinging over me draped over one shoulder. What did he mean by that? I shook my head. He clearly said that with the prime thought of the mission and not my individual wellbeing. I must have misunderstood him. I was only apart of his team for a few weeks, not long enough to warrant any kind of concern. 

It wasn’t like I was purposely out to ruin my body. Anyhow, my ability to sleep soundly was not in my control. I didn’t seek to torment myself each night. Believe me, if I could take care of myself, I would. 

“I can’t promise that,” I murmured under my breath. Kakashi’s hearing was powerful enough that he probably heard me, but he made no indication to show whether or not he did. 

“We need to get going. We still have some ground to cover before we arrive,” he said.

I nodded in compliance, “Okay,” I said, adjusting my bag on my other shoulder before moving forward at a sluggish speed. 

The weather hadn’t improved much since last night; although the rain had stopped, the bitter chill was still present. It wouldn’t have bothered me as much if I could run and build up my own heat, but because I was resigned to traveling as a citizen, I was more susceptible to the cold. Kakashi, who was walking in front of me, didn’t appear to notice the chill. Not one shiver overcame his slouching form. His eyes looked ahead, but he always seemed to know what was happening around him. He most likely knew I was lagging while violently shivering. 

“Have you ever been to Narashiki?” I asked, trying to distract myself from the cool bite.

Kakashi gave a tiny nod and turned his attention to me, just in time to catch another tremble roll through me. “Yeah, I can’t say I care much for it,” he said simply. I suppose after having grown up in the Hidden Leaf; it would be hard to become impressed by much else. The Leaf didn’t have much of a nightlife, but it was beautiful, inviting, and warm. It had a homely feel that many places could not replicate.

“And why’s that?”

“It’s a hell hole,” he replied, his register dropping down to a tone of disgust. “A drinking and whoring hotspot. The city is ridden with crime, so I am not one bit surprised that sex trafficking is occurring there.” 

If it weren’t for the crime, I perhaps would have thought that such a place of sin would be a perfect getaway for Kakashi, but it appeared even he had some morals in place for how far he was willing to let his perversion go. “It doesn’t sound great,” I admitted, turning my nose up to the mention of the sex trafficking trade. “And what’re your thoughts on the length of this mission.”

“It’s hard to say,” he said. “It’s a large place, so it may take some time.”

I sighed a little at this. I suppose it couldn’t be helped; a mission was a mission. Slumming it for a few weeks would be worth it in the end if I could find and save the girls who had been wrongly taken. In the circumstances like this, the idea of failure could not exist. “I think it would be best if I frequented the more crime-ridden parts of the city. I don’t think I’ll be welcome at the brothels, but I should check out the bars at least.” 

“I think that’s a good place to start,” Kakashi agreed. 

Once the sun was dwindling in the sky, we made camp again. By the time we stopped, the ground was much dryer; thus, we elected to neglect the tents and have the sleeping bags rolled out on the ground with a clear view of the stars sparkling in the navy sky. I insisted that I have the first watch that night, and because of my newly energized state, Kakashi had no reason to refuse me. However, he wasn’t too pleased when I chose not to wake him up and keep watch for the whole night. I simply did not feel the need; I wasn’t tired. Since I had spent weeks with barely any sleep, my body had learned to adjust with fewer hours of rest, and Kakashi looked so peaceful as he lightly snored in his slumber. It would have been a shame to disturb him. He scolded me about my refusal to follow orders and that the next time I did it, be it something small, there would be punishment. I couldn’t be sure if he were bluffing, and the way his single eye shot daggers at me, I wasn’t too keen to find out. 

Kakashi chuckled at me at my awe-stricken state as we walked through the city of Narashiki. My head was tilted up at the high, industrial buildings most of the time, and they only glanced down to make sure that I wouldn't bump into the plentiful pedestrians milling about their business. It was well late into the evening when we arrived, but the streets were well lit with bright yellow street lights and neon signs. Despite the time, there were still many groups of people around, chattering loudly into the night. The Hidden Leaf, in comparison, looked like some humble, back-water town. At least the Leaf didn’t have that strong polluting odor, though. No wonder Kakashi didn’t like this place; he must find the scents intoxicating, even I could barely tolerate it. Already, a dull headache was beginning to form. 

Although the city was impressive with all its technological advancements, the people around did not have the happy smiles I grew to love seeing in the Leaf. I caught more than my sight of homeless beggars rummaging in garbage and sleeping in the filth on hard cement pavement in the back alleys. 

I was glad to have Kakashi by my side because I doubt I could brave such a large intimidating place on my own. 

As we moved further in the city, where the lights grew flashier and buildings larger, conversation between us came to a minimum as we tried to navigate our destination. As we walked, I noted that the structures were getting nicer and posher, and the garish neon lights were going out a view until we came to an expensive street that looked like only nobles or higher could afford to live in. There we stopped at a large, three-story white house with expansive green gardens and a sweeping, marble staircase leading to double oak doors. 

“A bit overkill,” I murmured to Kakashi as we approached the doors. 

“That’s why there are so many poor and homeless people back the way we came,” he said with disdain. “Too much of the cities profit goes towards making sure people like this are well looked after.” 

They were more than looked after; they were downright spoilt and privileged. I never had such luxury growing up. I was glad I didn’t because it shaped me into the decent human I was to date, which is more than I could say for most people living here. 

Kakashi’s hand rapped on the door, and moments later, a very young, beautiful woman opened it. Upon seeing us, she almost slammed the door in our faces, but Kakashi’s sandaled foot swiftly slid into the gap to prevent it from closing. “We’re the Hidden Leaf shinobi that your employer requested,” he explained.

She looked at us skeptically, probably wondering if we were telling the truth, but the voice of a man calling out helped her decide to let us in. She pulled the door ajar cautiously and stepped aside to allow us entry. As soon as we stepped foot into the breathtaking mansion, she hastily closed the door behind us and fastened the lock. “The mayor is in his study,” she said sweetly, “if you’ll follow me.”

We followed the assistant without question up a polished, wooden flight of spiraling stairs. She didn’t seem to want to speak to us, as though we were dirt under her pretty white pumps, and only stole some disapproving glances from the corner of her eye. Even Kakashi’s charm didn’t affect her, but with everything that has been happening to girls around the city, I couldn’t blame her for her distrust in men. 

She led us past a long, brightly lit corridor, with a vast array of rooms on each side. I wondered what one could do with so many rooms and if they were even necessary or another pointless extravagance. Soon we stopped at a door that looked like any other that I had seen in the house. She politely knocked her delicate, manicured hand against it. A man on the other side promptly permitted us to come inside. 

The overly large, shiny desk was the epicenter of the wood-paneled room. In a red, padded office chair sat a mid-aged man who appeared to be in his forties. He wasn’t much to look at, neither ugly nor attractive. His tanned face had a few wrinkles that looked to be due to sun exposure, and his peppered hair was thinning and left him with a prominent receding hairline. “Thank you, Hama, you can leave,” he said, waving his hand for the assistant to go to allow the three of us to discuss matters. The lady bowed her strawberry blonde head and stepped out quietly. Once the door clicked, he sighed at the paper under his nose and stared at us with tired eyes. It was very late now, well past midnight, and I doubted he appreciated us for arriving at such an inconvenient time when he probably wanted to sleep. “I thought I only requested one shinobi,” he said, jutting his head in Kakashi’s direction. 

Kakashi was unfazed at the man’s blatant rudeness, but I didn’t take kindly to it. Just because we were shinobi and he was wealthy didn’t excuse him for acting high and mighty. 

“I apologize for the inconvenience, but this is her first A-rank mission, and the Hokage thought it would be best if I accompanied and made sure everything went according to plan.” His voice was calm and rational, but there was undoubtedly a finality to it. 

The mayor studied us for a moment, and I took this pause to undo the transformation jutsu I was holding. His crinkled eyes widened at that moment like he hadn’t seen a jutsu performed before him, but they quickly simmered down to a stare of uncomfortable approval. He hummed at my appearance, his eyes undressing me. “I like this much better,” he nodded.

Gross! If he acted like this with a seasoned killer, I’d hate to see his mannerisms towards his female staff. 

“Alright,” he relented, leaning further into his plush chair. “I assume you already read the mission scroll.”

“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t,” Kakashi said impatiently, which beckoned the mayor to continue onto business. 

There were no other chairs in the room, which left Kakashi and me to stand in the expansive room. There was a roaring fireplace on the wall next to me, the heat was turned up too high, the wood burning too quickly, but with the amount of money this man had, the cost of firewood would hardly be an issue. 

The mayor folded his hands together and rested his chin on top. I noted he had a gaudy, golden wedding ring on his finger. I wondered how any woman could stand this letch, but then I remembered if money were involved, plenty would turn a blind eye. “As you’re aware, there have been many female disappearances around the city,” he said seriously, fixing his eyes on me without giving Kakashi a second thought. “The last disappearance was two weeks ago. A fifteen-year-old girl was taken.” 

I stiffened at the mention of the girl. She was the exact same age as Sakura, who seemed way too innocent to know much in the realm of sex. “How many have gone missing?” I was almost too afraid to ask.

“The newest one would mean a total of 18 have gone,” he replied solemnly. “I’m afraid our police force hasn’t got any leads, and the disappearances aren’t happening in one spot or to any one group of women. It’s all around the city, so there is little to connect the disappearances.” 

He told the situation to us calmly, filling us in on crime hot spots and the best places to start, but he wasn’t very helpful at all, and there wasn’t much to go on. It looked like I had my work cut out for me.

“I had some lodgings prepared at a hotel,” he said sourly, “but I didn’t realize two shinobi were coming, so there’s only one room. I suppose to kunoichi could stay here ….”

“I’m sure we can make the room work,” Kakashi harshly interjected. The mayor looked at him with mild irritation, not liking having his idea foiled. When the mayor wasn’t looking, I mouthed a thank you at Kakashi. Between this man and Kakashi, I’d much prefer to have to share a bed with Kakashi. It’s not like I hadn’t shared a bed before. On some missions, it’s unavoidable, and there had been countless times when I had to bunk in with Haruki. This wouldn’t be much different. 

“If you say so,” the mayor said with a look of disappointment towards me. “You can begin your investigation tomorrow. Now it’s getting quite late, so I trust you two can show yourselves out?” Like with his assistance, he waved his hand at us to leave. We didn’t bow like her but silently left, with me being annoyed at him for treating us like his personal employees. 

I was glad to get out of that pompous house, and I would have liked it even more if we could get further away from it, but as it was, the equally posh hotel wasn’t far away. The woman at the counter was perplexed that we had a room at the fine establishment, considering our clothes were far from prim and proper. She gingerly lent us the key, careful about her hand not to directly touch mine. “Enjoy your stay,” she said with a smile that seemed forced. 

I would never have been able to stay at something so expensive in normal conditions, but at least I wasn’t the one paying for it. If the mayor wanted to waste his money on unnecessary purchases, who was I to stop him? I opened the door to our room and was instantly smacked in the face by flowery scents and cleaning chemicals. As we stepped inside, I noted what looked to be a very comfortable queen-sized bed with light blue bedding. The beige carpet under my feet was soft and spongey. The kitchenette looked recently renovated and sparkled more than mine could ever back home. Adjacent to the bed was a white, leather lounge with a smooth, white coffee table in front of it with classy magazines and books evenly stacked on top. 

“White seems to be a favored color,” I commented as I headed inside the bathroom to peek inside. 

It was tremendous, with a deep standalone tub up against an enormous window that peered down onto the bright, bustling city. I could imagine myself sipping on a glass of wine in that bath as I took in the scenic beauty. Near the tub were twin basins and a double walk-in shower with a removable shower head. If I didn’t know any better, this room was never designed for a single person. 

“We’re alone now. You can undo your transformation jutsu,” Kakashi said, peering his head into the room. I was so distracted by the luxury presented to me I hadn’t even realized I was still walking around with a face that didn’t belong to me. 

“Silly me,” I said, undoing the jutsu with my normal self-emerging from the white smog. 

I did a little twirl in front of the enormous mirror in the bathroom. “I like this much better,” I said, mimicking the words that the mayor had said to me earlier in the evening. 

Kakashi gave a humored chuckle as he turned to leave the bathroom. “Hopefully, we don’t deal with him too much.”

I gave a hum of approval and leaned against the door frame to look into the next room. Kakashi was rummaging in his pack to pull out a change of clothes for the night. “It is getting late, isn’t it?” I noted. “I’ll go get changed in the bathroom.” I closed the door behind me and shed the pack from my back. 

I groaned at my decision to put my pajamas at the bottom. I had to pull everything out just to reach them, making a fair bit of noise as I was chucking spare kunai and shuriken at my feet. Finally, I was dressed in some black pants and a loose, grey top. I decided to wear a bra for decency's sake to prevent Kakashi from getting an eyeful of my nipples that would otherwise poke against the shirt. 

When I finally put everything back into my bag and exited the bathroom, the lights in the room were off, spare the lamp on the bedside table that Kakashi was using so he could read his smutty book. I took in a sharp breath as I looked at him laying on the bed in a tight-fitting black tank and attached mask that perfectly hugged his sculpted muscles. The bulge of his muscular biceps was on display, showing off a faded, red Anbu tattoo. My mouth went dry as I took him in. It should be criminal to look that good for just going to bed. 

“Are you coming?” Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow as he put his book away, catching me staring at him for longer than what would be considered appropriate.

“Um yeah,” I blushed lightly at being caught and nervously averted my gaze. I scooted to the bed and slipped into the covers, careful not to get too close to Kakashi. Even though I wasn’t touching him, I could feel the warmth radiate from him and found it a soothing contrast to the cool bedding. Once I was settled, Kakashi leaned to flick the light off, leaving the room in mostly darkness, except for the streetlights peeking through the drawn curtains. 

Unlike me, Kakashi fell to sleep relatively quickly. Dammit, he was even good at falling asleep, the lucky bastard! In minutes I heard his soft, shallow breathing, which indicated he had fallen into the slumber. The bed was immensely comfortable, but I couldn’t get my mind to turn blank even then. However, this time, my inability to succumb to sleep wasn’t because of the fear I harbored, but the anxiety that was welling in my chest at being so close to Kakashi. 

Okay, I take it back, maybe sharing a bed with Kakashi wasn’t quite the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, another chapter down! I am very much enjoying writing this story, and I want to say a huge thanks to those who are still reading.


	10. Chapter 10

I startled awake to another nightmare, breathing harshly and sweating around my brow. My heart was pumping violently in my chest like it was trying to break free. Then, a low moan from Kakashi promptly drew my attention away from my body's panic response. I turned over to glance at him, initially worried that I may have woken him, but as it was, he was still sound asleep, dead to the world. His breathing was sharp and shallow, and limbs were twitching involuntarily, showing that he was in the middle of his own dream, a dream probably much more pleasant than the one I was just in. I laughed silently to myself. For a hardened shinobi, he could be a deep sleeper when he wanted to be. Though, given we were safely away in a hotel room, I could barely blame him for letting his guard down and getting some much-needed rest. 

"Mhmm, you feel so good."

Like hell, that was happening! He was not having a sex dream next to me! The perve!

"Captain Kakashi, wake up!" I growled angrily, rocking his body forcefully.

No response save for another dreamy moan and perverted giggle. He had to be faking it, right? Most people would have stirred awake to violent shaking, especially one coming from me. Clearly, Kakashi needed a bit more persuasion or a swift kick in the head. 

"Kakashi, if you don't get your arse up at this moment, I'm gonna … eek!" I let out a shriek of surprise as Kakashi rolled over onto his other side, his strong arm wrapping around my waist and drawing me forcefully into his chest. I attempted to wiggle out, but the more I did, the stronger he pushed me into him, and he was still fucking asleep! Then, I felt it. The proof of his sexy dream, prodding the inside of my thigh. I froze, terrified of moving and making it harder than it already was, not that I thought it could get any harder. He was still for a while but still very much audible, making sharp breaths and guttural moans as he continued to dream. I was curious about what it could be to get him so aroused, but with all the erotica he read, it could be an abundance of things. The women in his books were so sultry and appealing that any female, in reality, would pale in comparison. Then he rolled his hips against me. The first gasp I made was out of shock, but when he bucked back into me a second time, hitting the bundle of nerves between my legs, the next gasp was a result of the pleasure that shot through me. 

I had to get out while I still could. 

I had Kakashi's wrist in my hand. When I was prying it away, he threw his leg over me and hooked it around, dragging me back in and grinding against me more forcefully. That was all it took. I threw my head back and moaned lowly as he rocked against me, hitting my clothed clit each time, getting faster and harder with each thrust. Still asleep, he buried his masked head into my neck and groaned. I could feel my heated core grow slick with the arousal of my juices, getting wetter at the sounds of his desperate breaths mingling with mine until it completely soaked through my panties and began dampening my shorts. 

His fingers were digging into my hip, sending sparks through me, igniting at the apex of my thighs. I was moaning in earnest now, the feeling in my groin getting tighter and near unbearable. My thoughts were getting muddled, and my desire to get away from Kakashi all but vanished. I wanted so badly for the clothes between us to disappear and, instead of grinding against me, Kakashi pumping inside me. 

"It’s so tight,” Kakashi moaned breathlessly. I flushed all the way down to my neck. The situation was so obscene. Kakashi wasn’t even conscious, and I felt guilty like I was taking advantage of him. But another bump of his hardened cock against me threw that feeling of dread out the window as I arched my back to push myself further into him, my thoughts growing wild as I thought of other things we could be doing, with Kakashi very much alert. He was moving against me more frantically now, both of us heavily banting and moaning. At this rate, I’m going to …

“Oh fuuuck,” I groaned. I felt my legs begin to quiver as the pressure inside me grew too much. With one particularly hard thrust, I was sent over the edge. In that moment of pure ecstasy, I had a moment of panic. As my orgasm exploded through me, I summoned what little control of my chakra I had and pushed hard against Kakashi and leaped into the bathroom and violently slammed the door. My pussy was still clenching and spasming as I rode out my orgasm. I slid down the door, my limps twitching and tensing, until finally, the last few pulses came through, and I was left in a state of pure post-orgasmic bliss. For a few seconds, I could hear nothing but the own buzzing in my ears and my breathless pants. I looked up at the ceiling with half-lidded eyes.

What the hell just happened?

I think my slamming of the bathroom door had roused Kakashi. But judging by his drowsy groan and not much else, I figured that he had no clue about what just transpired between us. However, I doubt I would be able to think of not much else. 

I cranked on the hot water to the shower and stepped in once the steam had filled the room. My thighs were soaked in my feminine juices, so that’s the first place I started washing, running the loofah multiple times between my legs to make sure I got rid of all evidence of my past arousal. Once I was convinced that I had got rid of every ounce of wetness, I let out a relaxed sigh, finally able to enjoy the hot spray cascading down my body. Then, the indecent thoughts starring a certain copy ninja came flooding back, sending a delicious shiver down my spine. If he could give a girl an earthshattering orgasm while not even being awake, what would he be able to do when he was aware?

Oh, God! How could I even look at him the same way again without blushing furiously? 

I was thankful that I had left my backpack in the bathroom. It saved me some embarrassment of having to tiptoe past Kakashi in nothing but a towel for modesty. Once dressed, wearing straight white three-quarter pants and a tight-fitting red top that Sakura would be proud of, I exited the room, careful to keep my face blank so as not to reveal anything. 

“Good morning,” Kakashi greeted, his eyes crinkled into an unknowing smile. A towel was draped over his arm, and he was sitting at the edge of the already made bed, apparently waiting for me to finish up. The exposed section of his face and his voice's tone showed no indication of the knowledge of what had happened that morning. Internally, I let loose an exhale of relief. My insides flip-flopped, but now that I knew he was utterly oblivious, I felt much more at ease. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. 

“Morning,” I said cheerily. “The bathroom is free now if you want it?”

Kakashi nodded mutely and stood up. When he walked past me, almost brushing arms, the hair on the back of my neck pricked up as I caught a whiff of his masculine scent that was created when he was rubbing up against me. I felt my face turn red as a beetroot. Thankfully Kakashi didn’t turn around to look at me as he closed shut the bathroom door. 

As the door clicked, I let out a shaky breath I had been desperately holding, and my legs wobbled beneath me, almost sending me to fall over. “Shit,” I breathed, leaning against a wall to steady myself. I brought a hand against my face and slapped hard against my cheek. I needed to get a hold of myself. There was no time for trivial nonsense, especially on a mission. This was my time to show Lady Tsunade what I was capable of. If I fucked this up, the likelihood of me receiving A rank and S rank missions in the future would be slim. On top of that, there was still the Hidden Lake to think about. I had no business thinking about physical pleasures when the lives of my people were at stake, as well as the lives of many others. 

Once Kakashi was finished in the bathroom, which took much less time than it did myself, I declared my shopping intentions. He looked at me like I grew a second head at first, but once I told him I would need better clothes to fit into my role, he reluctantly agreed. He didn’t seem too pleased about the idea, mainly because he would have to follow me around from a distance while I would go on my merry way, visiting the plethora of clothing stores. 

I giggled to myself as I imagined him grumbling from the rooftops as he watched me, swinging bags in tow. I couldn’t feel his charka because he was masking it exceptionally well, but I knew he was there. The thought of Kakashi secretly watching my every move made my heart do a little jump in my chest, even if he was only doing it to keep an eye out for anyone suspicious. I shook my head at that ridiculous feeling. I was acting like a giddy schoolgirl. It was unbecoming, especially when considering I was on high stake, A-rank mission. If Kakashi even caught a whiff of my unprofessionalism, it would no doubt lead back to Lady Tsunade's ears. Then I can wave any faith that they may have in me bye-bye. 

Surprisingly, the act of shopping was much more intensive than I ever imagined. For a while, I had no idea where to start. There were too many endless possibilities and so many crowds of people that I kept bumping into. No one ever glanced back to say sorry or even hey watch it. Their eyes were trained ahead, moving briskly, like a well-oiled machine, as if they had essential places to be. 

For the most part, I followed the horde of young-adult girls, draped in skimpy material that I scarcely saw in the Hidden Leaf or Hidden Lake. However, in Narashiki, the opposite was instead true. I began playing a little game to myself, counting the girls I saw dressed modestly, which I found rather challenging. After two hours, my tally was up to five. 

As I shopped, I made an effort to speak to the shop assistants, filling them in on my fake life as a humble village girl, hoping that my words would somehow travel to my target if I hadn’t spoken to them already. 

By the end of it all, my arms were getting tired of carrying the bags of clothes, food, and cosmetics that hung on each side and made walking awkward and slow. 

Once I was heading back to the hotel, the street and neon lights were flickering to life, and more and more people filled out onto the bustling streets. Some were already very obviously drunk and swayed side-to-side as they took up most of the walkway. A short, frumpy man who smelled like he had been doused in alcohol almost wholly knocked me over as he stumbled brazenly through the narrow street I had elected to travel through. He didn’t even appear to notice me. I assumed that he had so much to drink that his surroundings had all but blurred together. 

“You didn’t tell me that it was going to take all day,” Kakashi said, appearing behind me as I turned the key in the door. 

“How was I to know how mad it would be out there?” I grumbled. I quickly stepped into the room and dumped the bags at my feet, my arms unable to handle much more. I turned to Kakashi, leaning against the door with a bored slouch, downturned eyes, and crossed arms. 

“I thought it would have been fairly obvious.”

“It is now,” I spat, sifting through the bags for the food and neatly storing them in the empty kitchen cupboards, organizing them based on type. “Let’s just hope I got noticed.” 

“I’m sure you did. You stuck out like a sore thumb,” Kakashi stated bluntly. I pulled out a pouch of food pills I had put away earlier and then slammed the cupboard a little too hard and turned to him with a threatening glare.

“Oh? Care to elaborate,” I said threateningly, popping a black food pill into my mouth and chomping ruthlessly. I didn’t have much time to cook anything or even eat a take-out meal, so the food pill would have to suffice for the night. 

“It’s obvious you haven’t been anywhere like Narashiki. One could spot your nervousness a mile away.” My attempt at sounding scary was sadly all but lost on Kakashi. 

‘Maybe I was nervous because I had you, who unconsciously gave me an amazing orgasm, watching me!’

“Well, that doesn’t really matter because I’m not supposed to be from Narashiki.”

“Good thing too.” His voice dripped with a teasing tone as his eyes crinkled mockingly at me. Kakashi was too smug for his own good, and if he weren’t so deserving of his arrogance, I would have thrown a punch at his obnoxious head. 

“I said this once, and I’ll say it again in case you’re hard at hearing: You’re a jerk!” 

“Oh, I heard you the first time,” he said happily, utterly unfazed by my insult. “I just can’t seem to care.”

This time I did hit him; Kakashi’s skills be damned. I lunged forward at his head, palm open, as my hand smacked against his face angrily. I felt the hot sting of my hand as it made contact against his partially covered cheek, but Kakashi simply stood there, bored-looking as always. “Are you done?” He asked. 

Maybe I should have hit him harder. 

I glared at him, pissed off because I didn’t get nearly as much satisfaction out of that as I thought I would … well, less satisfaction than this morning. Nope! I am not going there. “I suppose,” I sighed, deflated. 

“Good. Then, I suggest you get yourself ready for tonight. There is work to do after all.” 

“For me anyway. All you have to do is stand there and lurk,” I said with the roll of my eyes, walking away from Kakashi into the bathroom, a bag full of clothes I purchased that day in hand. 

I stared at myself in the mirror, not really recognizing the woman staring back. Other than her mud-pool orbs, everything else seemed foreign, like I was trapped in another body. Her red, matte lips pulled into a seductive smirk, and her kohl-rimmed eyes blinked back. I pulled my fingers through my curly locks, and as I ran through the ends, they bounced back around my face. I wasn’t very experienced with make-up, only practicing a few times to create a repertoire of disguises, and I was afraid that instead of sultry, my face would look clownish. I was relieved, to say the least, that I managed to pull it off. Even though I looked sexy, I still felt uncomfortable in my own skin, skin that was very much on display. 

The white, waist-high skirt I wore rode dangerously high on my thighs, and the black, cropped, halter neck top plunged a little too much and revealed an ample amount of cleavage I didn’t feel right showing. It was a far cry from the shinobi attire I was used to, but it did fit perfectly for this particular setting. I wondered if Kakashi would like it, but I quickly beat that fast thought out of my mind. I was trying to impress the target, not my captain!

I stumbled out of the room due to those infernal three-inch black heels I forced myself to wear, ducking my head shyly. I glanced up under my elongated lashes at Kakashi. I immediately turned a light shade of pink as I caught his eyes raking up and down my body. I shifted uncomfortably on my feet and fumbled with the hem of the skirt, trying to tug it down to cover more leg. As I tried to adjust myself, Kakashi’s hand whipped out and caught my wrist, forcing it back to my side. “If you want to fool these people, you need to appear confident in yourself,” he said softly. The back of his knuckles ghosted over my thigh as he pulled away, causing my skin to shiver. I felt myself getting even pinker with embarrassment as he continued staring at me, his eyes stopping for a moment at my cleavage. 

“Kakash … captain, would you stop staring at me like that!” I squeaked with mortification, bringing my hands up to cover my chest. 

“You’re going to get much worse from the men you’ll encounter tonight,” he said, justifying his perverse stare as a test to see how’d I react. 

I was prepared for that. In fact, knowing I would be ogled by other men scarcely bothered me because I trusted myself to remain in control, and it was what was required for the mission. On the other hand, having Kakashi, my captain, stare at me shamelessly was not what I signed up for. Though I didn’t sign up to him rubbing up against me, but I didn’t partially dislike that either … 

Dammit! A mind-wipe jutsu would be perfect right now.

“I am well aware,” I said, bitterness oozing in my voice. I grumbled in defeat and let my hands flop to my sides. I swallowed my dignity hole and forced my posture into one that was more suggestive, with breasts jutting out and hips poking to the side. “I’ve been on missions similar to this before,” I said, lowering my register to a sultry one. “But I don’t have to enjoy them.”

Kakashi nodded in approval, folding his arms as his eye flashed over me one last time before landing politely on my eyes, careful not to drift down again. “Looks like you can fit in when you put in the effort,” he said.

I placed my hands onto the curve of my hips. “Remember, before becoming a genin again, I was ranked jonin. You should have more faith in me.” My sexy voice sounded off to me, especially using it against Kakashi. It filled me with a sickness I forced deep down into my gut as I continued the façade. For a split moment, it broke. “Let’s just go and get this over with.” 

The walk to the bar that I had chosen felt like it would be the worst part of the mission due to the heels I was walking in. To stop me from tripping over, I had to reel in my pace to a slow saunter, making sure I kept my hips swaying to the side as I walked with elegance. Before I even got there, I felt blisters forming on the outside of my pinkie toe and the back of my heel. As much as I wanted to rip off the shoes and continue barefoot, I soldiered on fighting a grimace that was threatening to show through. I felt the eyes of men linger on me as I walked and gulped back nausea as many catcalled after me, giving them suggestive glances as I continued on my path. Strangely enough, instead of the lecherous men that this city seemed to like housing, all I could think about was what Kakashi thought about the predicament. Would he be angry at the men ogling me the way they were, or would he be completely indifferent? Why did I even care was a much better question to be asking myself? Sure, he made my body feel things I didn’t get elsewhere. Still, as long as he didn’t know, I had to endeavor to keep our relationship strictly professional. To think about things such as this would only complicate matters in an already delicate mission. Haruki wouldn’t be much help in this situation, and he would probably even lead me astray, but if Kitsune were here, she would tell me that I needed to find my priorities. Kakashi was definitely not one of them. The fact that I thought of him of anything but my captain, even if for a moment, was messed up in its own right. 

Idiot, you were already messed up before you met him.

I took in a large, nervous breath as a pink, garish, neon sign came into view, reading ‘Neon Nights.’ Hordes of people were standing outside, talking loudly and drunkenly while blowing cigarette smoke onto the street. Most people walking by paid no attention to the assault on the nose, but as it hit my face upon entering the bar, I spluttered as the smoke whizzed down my throat and filled my lungs. I attempted to take another breath, but the air on the inside wasn’t much of an improvement, smelling heavily of strong booze, marijuana, and sweat.

Before anyone noticed, I regained my sexy outward composure. I swayed towards the front of the bar, giving the bartender a flirtatious smile as I took a seat on the synthetic leather stool. “I’ll have a light beer, handsome,” I said, battering my eyelashes at him. The whole gesture made my insides shiver with disgust. A young boy, barely eighteen, was tending the bar. He smiled goofily at me as he filled a tall glass of alcohol and placed it on the bar bench in front of me. I didn’t desire to get inebriated and dull my senses, but at the same time, I didn’t want to appear suspicious by not drinking, hence the decision to go for a light beer. I brought the bubbly beverage to my red lips and took a tiny sip, holding in a scowl at the bitter taste hitting my tongue. 

The music in the room, pounding in a slow drum against the walls, was almost deafening and I a hard time hearing anything concrete as conversations around me jumbled together. From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Kakashi on the farthest table from me, beer in hand. He wasn’t directly looking at me, instead seemingly paying me no mind, but I was sure I was the main thing he was focused on. Then I saw a woman, dressed just as skimpily as me with vibrant red hair running straight down her back, approach him. I watched as she gave him a sultry glance from underneath her fake eyelashes, and her hand smoothed over his shoulder before wrapping her dainty hands around his arm. My nails dug into the plush material of the chair I was seated on as I watch her almost landing in his lap. I chewed the inside of my lip as I saw her lips move near his ear to whisper something. My being shook at the same time my nostrils flared, despite Kakashi barely looked at this woman who was trying her best to win him over. If I could even call her one, this woman was pathetic, climbing all over a man just because he was attractive. 

“Is anyone sitting here?” I was yanked from my jealous thoughts from a man smiling at me, or rather my cleavage. 

He was a gaunt mid-height man, wearing an oversized coat, and had shaggy blonde hair. He reeked of alcohol, and if I could turn him away, I would. “Be my guest,” I smiled, gesturing at the empty stool next to me. Hastily, like the man needn’t be asked twice, he pulled up the chair and sat ordering a glass of whisky before averting his ogling gaze to me. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen you here before?” he said.

“It’s a big city.”

His grin grew even more prominent after taking a hearty gulp of his brown drink, flashing me yellow-stained teeth. “A woman as gorgeous as you, I would have noticed.” My thoughts turned as he said that, thinking he would have noticed me if he wanted to kidnap me. But there were plenty of people who could be the culprit as well, and I doubt I would draw in the target that quickly. Nevertheless, I decided to entertain him. 

“You’re right,” I giggled. “I am actually from Enzawa.” 

“Oh wow, a rural girl. I would never have guessed. And what is this pretty woman’s name.”

“Kitsune,” I barely had to think before the name rolled off my tongue.

“That’s a beautiful name,” he said, no doubt saying that to any girl he was lucky to talk to. He then swiveled in his stool so that he was leaning closer to me, his knobbly knee almost touching mine. I pretended not to mind and gleamed sweetly at him.

“You haven’t told me your name yet,” I purred, placing my hand on his knee, instantly causing him to stiffen. I fixed him with a very persuasive look, pulling the corner of my lip into a flirty smirk. 

“It’s nothing interesting,” he replied, voice a little rougher as I began to stroke his leg, trying not to puke all over his lap.

“I’m sure it is.”

It didn’t take long; with a few light touches, he was soon putty in my hand, unable to resist my forced feminine charm. “Mako,” he finally said. I would remember that for later. If I had a list of all possible suspects, it would hopefully make this mission go by far faster. Though we were reasonably confident that a shinobi was responsible, he was most likely not liable based on this man’s skeletal appearance. 

I continued asking what seemed to be entirely innocent questions: What he did, where he was from, his interests and hobbies. It took little effort on my part, a few batts of my eyelashes, and a few well-placed words to open him up.

In all, he was a very boring man, though, compared to my real life, I figured the life of a normal man would be humdrum. Mako grew up in the city, worked as a financial consultant for a medium-sized firm, and had no interests far from his work and women (something he made a point of). I tried to seem intrigued, but for the most part, I was fighting back a yawn as he drawled on about himself. When it became obvious that Mako wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, I tried to find a time to interject and politely detach myself from him. However, every time there seemed to be a pause, he would speak again before I had a chance to say anything. I was one hundred percent certain that he was not involved with the disappearances. If he wanted to kidnap women and remain undetected, he would need to know some stuff about them. 

By the time he was slowing down and the clock ticking by, the bar was beginning to look a little bare since I came in. I took a long swig of my glass, nodding and humming in small gaps, for that was as much as I could get out. At this rate, this mission would never get done!

“So how about we take this discussion somewhere more private, hmmm?” He said, leaning in to whisper. 

My first reaction would have been to laugh in his face, then tell him to get lost. I emptied the rest of my glass contents and stood up, pulling down my skirt as it rode up. Mako’s eyes lit up in excitement, thinking I was going to go with him. “You know, I think that drink has gone to my head, and I am quite sleepy now. I am just going to head back to my hotel.”

“I can walk you.”

Like hell he was! “It’s not far. I think I can manage.”

“I insist, a beautiful lady like you …”

“No!” I said quietly so no one can hear, except maybe Kakashi, but harshly. For god’s sake, take a hint! Mako quickly sat back down, his eager face quickly diminishing into a frown at his rejection. “I prefer to walk alone.”

“If you say so,” he grumbled meagrely. I gave him a small, sorry smile and then sauntered off, feigning tipsiness with a slight wobble to my gait. I had to walk past Kakashi on my way out, and I quickly gave him a small shake of my head, communicating that Mako was not a suspect. 

When I got back, the first thing I did was kick of my heels that were gnawing at my skin and leaving fresh, burning blisters. As soon as I flopped full-body onto the bed still in my tight clothing, the hotel room door opened inwards, with Kakashi ducking inside. “You look like you enjoyed yourself,” he said.

“Is that supposed to be funny?” I quirked up an eyebrow, propping myself onto my elbows. I winced as my heel pressed into the bed, the blistering burning and throbbing evermore. “Whoever invented high heels is evil.”

Kakashi chuckled at my frown as I stared at the raw red splotch, where the skin had been rubbed clean away. “It’s the first night on this mission, and you’re already complaining,” he laughed.

“If you had to wear Satan’s shoes, you would be too!” I brought one of my feet closer to me, careful not to flash Kakashi a view of my red, lacy underwear beneath my skirt. I hissed as I prodded around it, inspecting the area. Then, we a hue of green chakra, I began to mend the skin, sighing as the pain subsided. 

“I didn’t know you knew medical ninjutsu,” Kakashi noted, sounding impressed.

It didn’t take long for the first foot to be healed, and I was already on the second one; they were blisters, after all, hardly life-threatening. “Well, I know a little. I am nowhere near as good as Sakura; I have to admit.” 

“Well, she is the Hokage’s apprentice, and Lady Tsunade is the best at medical ninjutsu.” I nodded in agreement, smiling lightly as I flexed my feet, now completely pain-free. Sakura was so young, still a teenager, yet her medical ninjutsu was terrific. I bet that she could soon even surpass the current Hokage. 

A stiff yawn tore through me, my hand barely coming up to cover my mouth in time. Now that I had healed my blisters, I was feeling the drowsiness creep in. To think I still had weeks of enduring Narashiki’s nightlife to go. I hadn’t even changed yet or removed my make-up, and all I wanted was to lay down where I was and sleep; nightmares be damned. It seemed like a good idea to rest for the time being and then get up and deal with everything else. However, as soon as I closed my eyes and my curled head hit the pillow, the notion of doing anything else left me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the smut! It's not a full-blown lemon, it's too soon for that. Still, I hope you enjoyed it. 
> 
> How'd you think Kakashi would react if he found out? ;) 
> 
> As a completely unrelated note: I got engaged two days ago! I am beyond ecstatic and just have to shout it from the roof tops!


	11. Chapter 11

More than a week had slowly inched by. I was still finding it difficult to slide into normalcy with Kakashi, with what happened between us, something he was still blissfully unaware of. Sharing the bed after that always put me on edge. I made it a habit of hugging onto my second pillow that acted as a makeshift barrier between us. As much as I enjoyed what I felt at the time, I certainly wanted to avoid a recurrence. 

Every time I looked at or even thought of Kakashi, a flash of that morning would pass me by, and then my thoughts would stretch, spiraling to even more indecency, just as it was now. 

I brought the coffee mug to my lips, shifting my eyes to my captain, wondering just how many women he had been with during his life. He was almost ten years my senior, so he must have known a lot about the realm of sex. Would it be fifteen? Thirty? More? He never seemed uncomfortable talking about the topic or teasing me with innuendo. Perhaps it might be because of all the dirty books he read, or maybe it was something relating to more than just words on a page. Girls indeed flocked in his direction, but he never seemed to pay much mind. One thing was true: There would never be a female shortage for a man like Kakashi. 

As soon as I realized I was thinking about my captain’s sex life, my blush immediately flared. I tried to shove all those thoughts deep down so that they couldn’t resurface. What the hell was wrong with me? It was like I was going out of my way to make this weird!

Kakashi peered over the page of his book as he watched me choke and splutter, the coffee whizzing down my throat all wrong. “Is something the matter?” he asked, perpetually unimpressed.

I let out a final cough, my face turning bright red, some from embarrassment, the other from the lack of air. “Nope,” I croaked. Kakashi seemed satisfied with that and went back to reading what he probably read a hundred times over. 

For the umpteenth time, I told myself that I had to stay professional. I was barely able to look at Kakashi. Talking to him was way out of the question unless it was mission-related. And, god, I didn’t even want even to get started about the mission.

I thought building a list of all possible suspects would be helpful. Boy, was I wrong! It was now pages long, and I was nowhere near unraveling the mystery of the missing girls. I was right where I was a week ago, fuck all! 

The nights were long and often merged into the early morning. Each day I had to deal with wolf whistles, dirty comments, and groping in all three places. I was about ready to break fingers, but of course, Kakashi said I wasn’t allowed to. I wasn’t allowed to do anything except look pretty and act stupid. It was demoralizing. 

Narashiki was full of lecherous, perverted men that put the infamous copy ninja to shame. In my opinion, the majority were suspicious, and the list showed. I was still having a hard time distinguishing what was normal suspicious for such a hole of a city and what was human trafficking suspicious. I bet given a chance, and no threat of consequences, most of the men wouldn’t think twice about dipping their hands into the crime. 

“What if I used my Sharingan to help move things along,” I piped up, staring at the bottom of my downed mug. 

Kakashi let out a kind of snort mixed with laughter at my request. “If you could do that, I wouldn’t even bother bringing you on this mission,” he mocked. I wasn’t looking at him, but I figured he hadn’t even bothered to stare up from his Make-out Tactics. I admit it wasn’t the brightest of ideas. At this point, I was desperate for some breakthrough, one that didn’t involve me being touched by another clammy hand. 

“Right …” I sighed with a roll of my eyes, “because your eye is far more superior, Kakashi of the Sharingan.”

“Jealous?” he asked, a smirk poking from behind his mask. 

This time I did look at him or instead glared at him. He met mine with calmness, opening his left eye to tease the fact that mine was still very much immature. I couldn’t restrain myself from counting the tomoe, one more than what I had. “I’m jealous that you’re a man. You have no idea what I have to endure on this mission,” I retorted. “And you shouldn’t waste chakra like that just to rub it in.” 

“Look at you acting all responsible. Maybe Lady Tsunade should have made you captain.”

“Yeah, maybe, and maybe then this mission would be leading somewhere.” I was exhausted, and the weary sigh that moved past my lips was a stark indication. I felt like I was going nowhere. I had met so many people, people I’d rather not meet if I had the option, and none of those encounters felt helpful. Then there was Kakashi, and he only made matters worse. Time my mind could have been using for the sake of the mission was getting wasted on him. Me scolding myself about it did little in the way of prevention and only served to make me spiral further into the guilt I was wallowing in. 

“You’re being impatient,” Kakashi chastised. “Are you sure you’re mad at the right thing?” 

No, not really. There was plenty to be angry about, the list almost as long as the one reading the suspects. But I wasn’t about to tell him that. There was enough to deal with, and unloading my stress onto Kakashi wouldn’t be beneficial. Where would I even start? My anger was all over the place. It was directed at Lord Aashi, my lack of sleep, my lustful thoughts about Kakashi, and at Kakashi for prompting those thoughts.

On top of that, while I was here doing god knows what, any new information surrounding the Hidden Lake wouldn’t reach me. Maybe that’s how Tsunade wanted it, me out of the way and unknowing so she can do as she pleases without protest.

My chest felt heavy, with my thoughts charging a hundred miles an hour. “If I told you what was bothering me, we would be here all day,” I groaned, rubbing my temples to soothe an oncoming headache. “We have another big night ahead of us. I know I haven’t been drinking much, but very soon, having alcohol every night is going to catch up with me. If I ever go into liver failure, you should have to donate half of yours.”

“Why me?” 

“Because,” I said firmly, pointing out my index finger from over the dining table we were seated at, “you’re the captain, and your teammate's welfare is your responsibility.” 

He shrugged his shoulders at me in response and then quirked up a silver eyebrow at me. “Would you like a kidney too?”

I hummed thoughtfully, “If your offering, why not?”

This was the most I had said to Kakashi in days that wasn’t related to the mission at hand. It was refreshing to forget for a moment and continue with the playful banter that had grown to be a frequent occurrence that we both seemed to enjoy. As soon as I realized that I was beginning to act normal, I clammed up as the memory raced to the forefront of my mind. 

Why couldn’t my overactive brain just mind its own business and butt out? 

My being shivered as the memory passed, and my teeth sank tightly onto my bottom lip as I chewed nervously. I could taste the metallic of the blood as it dashed my tongue. I became stiff, and my eyes downcast back to my mug and my hands. Three emotions ruled my life: Anger, lust, and guilt. Currently, I was experiencing the two latter, and they were tearing at me, brimming at the surface and threatening to spill out onto my face. 

“Did you just bite yourself?” Kakashi asked, sounding shocked and leaning forward to have a better look at the tiny stream of blood that leaked from the corner of my lips. I darted my head the other way to obscure his view, flicking my finger out to smear the crimson away. 

“So I did, whoops,” I squeaked out, sounding very unnatural to my ears. It looked like Kakashi noticed my odd tone, and I caught, from my peripheral vision, his head tilt to the side in confusion. 

“You’ve been acting very weird since we got here,” he stated with concern. Even if it weren’t obvious, Kakashi still would have picked up on it. The question I had, though, was, did he know if my bizarre attitude was directed at him, or did he think it was directed at everything in general? If I were going to get technical with it, one could say, with good reason, that I haven’t been myself since I fled the Hidden Lake. My bad mood didn’t have everything to do with what happened with Kakashi; there was a multitude of reasons to make me sour. That incident just happened to be the most recent.

Nevertheless, it still didn’t plague my mind as much as those every night dreams that hadn’t disappeared as I hoped. If anything, they were getting more vibrant and detailed, making me wake up even more scared. Kakashi never made a move to show that he knew, but the way I was waking up now with more yelps, pants, and thrashes, he had to know. I guess I should be thankful enough to have a captain who didn’t bother to continue prying.

“I guess the city is just getting to me,” I lied, testing the waters to see what he would reply with. 

“From day one?” Okay, scratch that. Right now, he was definitely prying. 

I knew I was being difficult by keeping my thoughts and feelings close to me. I also knew that Kakashi was just trying to do what he thought was best, and apparently, that meant me opening up. I felt a little bad about being so stubborn, but nowhere near as bad as I would feel if I actually spoke about what was bothering me. Sure, he believed that he could handle whatever turmoils I had, but I bet he would think differently if I actually unloaded. He’d see how messed and unrepairable I really was. I didn’t feel like having his perception of me change and only see me as some weak, vulnerable creature. For as long as I could, I wanted to be seen as capable. 

And what would he even say if I told him what happened between us during his sex dream? I pictured that he would be furious with me, call me a hypocrite for even calling him a pervert. That would not be good for the mission's outcome if we could scarcely stand to be around each other. 

I planted my hands on the table and stood up abruptly. “I’m going for a walk,” I declared in frustration. 

I hoped that Kakashi wouldn’t follow me. For a while, I believed he had let me go on my own, but that would have been too good to be true. He was trying to be sneaky and all ninja-like, and I probably wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t let his chakra signature slip for a second. That was enough time for me to sense him. I planted my feet hard against the pavement and glared at the thick bush he was lurking behind. “Creep,” I muttered bitterly before moving on at a brisk pace. 

I decided to leave the inner city and walk around in the suburbs, where there were considerably fewer people. The constant crowds were getting to me, and I wanted some time where I did not have to look at another human. After all, there wasn’t much time left before I would have to suck it up and do my nightly, routine job with a forced smile. 

My steps were heavy with anger, my brain repeating the same hurtful words to me over and over again: Useless. 

I sucked in a tight breath, thinking that I had delved back into my shinobi life too quickly. After Haruki and Kitsune's death, I should have taken more time to come to terms with it. The outcome of my sitting back doing nothing would have been the same because nothing felt to be getting done as it was. My chest squeezed anxiously the more the thoughts kept on flooding. While I was in some seedy city doing a mission that had nothing to do with me, Lord Aashi and the Hidden Lake were most like amassing power and finalizing plans for an attack. My breathing picked up the more I thought about what the village could be doing while Tsunade sat back, twiddling her thumbs and waiting, keeping me out of the loop. How many would more people have to suffer and die before she saw them as an immediate threat? 

My breathing was becoming erratic, and before long, I was gasping for a straight breath of oxygen. Amongst the blurriness in my vision, I saw a group of young girls heading my way, prompting me to quickly duck into a vacant ally where I would remain unseen. Once they passed, I slid down into a crouch, clutching at my throat as I choked and hyperventilated for air. My strained throat croaked, and my ears could hear the severe pounding of my heart. My eyes stung as hot tears pricked them. More panicked thoughts passed me, increasing my state of anxiety, and soon I imagined their blood-soaked faces once again. I attempted to distract myself by looking at my trembling hands, but as my blurry vision peered down to look, I let out a startled yelp at seeing my palms soaked a cerise shade. 

Don’t look, don’t look! 

I had to get away, but I was trapped in that tiny ally. To leave would be to be seen in this horrid state. Tightly, I clamped my eyelids shut, refusing to open them, letting the darkness soothe me. A while, I stayed, crouched and surrounded by the black I had put myself in, allowing my focus to drift to the drum of my heartbeat. 

Once I was confident my anxiety attack had gone, I peeked my eyelids open, exhaling in relief to find my hands had gone back to being clean without a tinge of red. I stood a little unsteady and walked out of the ally, pretending as nothing had happened and praying that Kakashi had not witnessed my massive display of weakness. 

It was already getting dark, so I decided not to head back to the hotel. Instead, I visited the first bar I found. I was mostly dressed for the occasion, anyway, wearing a tight blue denim skirt and a form-fitting white turtleneck that amplified the curve of my breasts and the smallness of my waist. It wasn’t long after I sat at an empty table at the back that I saw a particularly attractive man roughly my age approach. His hair was a shade of raven black, and his mouth on his tanned face pulled into a smug smile as he spotted me. 

“Hey there!” 

The man walking towards me promptly turned the other direction with a scowl as a woman scooted into the seat opposite me. She had mousy brown hair and a pale face amplified by glamorous make-up. She looked a few years older than me. Judging by the laugh lines around her glossy pink mouth, I figured she smiled a lot. “Hey …” I said, surprised but not entirely annoyed at the intrusion. 

“I wouldn’t bother with him,” she roared, flapping her hand dismissively in the guy’s direction. “A girl has to be careful around here.” 

“Oh?” I feigned ignorance leaning towards her, acting interested. “Why is that?”

“Don’t you know?” She raised her recently plucked eyebrows in shock and came in closer to whisper, not that her voice could go down to such a quiet volume. “Women are going missing in this city.” She couldn’t be that worried because if she were, she wouldn’t be out seemingly alone, but she certainly sounded concerned. 

I giggled a little, unfazed by her words. “Oh that,” I said flippantly. “I know, but I wouldn’t worry. I doubt anything would happen to me.” I said that last sentence a little louder, hopeful that the right people would hear. 

The older woman gaped at me before her lips grew into an admiring smirk, happy at what she heard. “Glad I’m not the only one,” she shrugged, her voice dropping any hint of earlier fear and turning into one of confidence. “People are so fear-mongering. I think you’ll do.” 

Come again? 

“I’ll do?” What the hell did she mean by that?

Before the woman answered, she waved her hand at one of the waitresses, ordering two shots of vodka. I didn’t like where this was going, and I quickly gave Kakashi, seated at the bar, an apprehensive look before she turned her attention back onto me. “As a drinking buddy, silly!” she laughed. “All my other friends are too cowardly to hang out anymore. But you’re alone, and you look like fun.” The waitress then returned, plopping two over full shot glasses in front of us. The girl eagerly picked it up, throwing the contents to the back of her throat, not even reacting to what I knew to be a foul sensation. 

I didn’t know whether to decline this woman or to give in. I was very much leaning towards getting up and getting the hell away from there, but my persona ‘Kitsune’ was meant to be a girl looking for fun. And who knew where the shinobi target was lurking, he could be at the bar, for all I was aware, and I didn’t want to do anything that would make him suspicious. Besides, the women seemed innocent enough, if a little stupid. 

“Well, drink up!” she giggled, nudging the glass closer to me. 

With apprehension, I lifted it up, smelling it and almost gagging at its strong, intoxicating fumes. It looked like getting hammered was not an option tonight. “Alright then,” I said, squinting my eyes and quickly downing the glass in one gulp. I quivered at the burn in my throat that traveled down to my stomach, my face pulling into understandable disgust. One was undoubtedly only meant to get drunk from it, that was for sure. “Ughh, that’s awful,” I exclaimed noisily. 

“You’ll get used to it. Another!” 

Sure enough, the second wasn’t as bad, but it was still pretty terrible. It did not take long for the effects to be felt in my body, making my skin warm and tingly and my brain fuzzy. “What’s your name anyway?” 

“It’s Chika, and you?” she replied before consuming the third glass and still appearing sober. 

“Mmm … Kitsune!” Oh shit, I almost let my name slip. “It’s Kitsune.” Chika grabbed my hands quickly, nearly tipping over my glass that I still didn’t dare to drink. She gleamed happily at me, her cheeks slightly pink from the drinking. 

“It’s lovely to meet you, Kitsune,” she winked. She then let go of my hands, gesturing for a fourth round. “You’re so pretty!” I had heard that line so often recently, but not yet from a woman. Instead of giving me gross shudders and nausea, it made me feel warm at what was finally an innocent compliment. 

I threw back my third drink, just as the fourth appeared. I was no longer wincing at the sensation but chose to embrace the hot sting. “You too!” Although Chika was older than me, with a few more aged lines, she was still very much attractive and not yet out of her youthful prime, if personality was anything to go by. Men definitely thought so, stealing many glances at her but not having the confidence to approach while we accompanied each other, maybe even thinking we were an item. 

“And those eyes,” she continued, “I’ve never seen such a dark shade of brown; you could get lost in them! I bet you get your pick of the men.” 

I giggled sheepishly. “Not really,” I admitted. 

“What really? But look at you! Or is there already someone?” She gave me a mischievous smirk, her hazel eyes lighting up at the thought of girl talk. 

For a brief moment, the thought of Kakashi popped to my mind, my eyes almost betraying me and wandering to where he was. “Nope, no one. I need another drink!” I filled my mouth with the hot liquid, keeping it in my mouth for a moment so I couldn’t talk. When the burn became too much, I swallowed it, then quickly ordered another. 

It didn’t take long for me to finally realize something: alcohol was wonderful. The torturous thoughts that seemed to always linger in the back of my mind were all but silent. I had been seeing my friend’s death for well over a month, repeatedly replaying in both wakefulness and sleep. The memories were sometimes fuzzy and muted, but they were always present. But the vodka, well, that made it all go away, even if it was temporary. 

“Um, Kitsune, I like to drink as much as most gals … but maybe you should slow down,” Chika frowned at the six empty shot glasses splayed out in front of me, some tipped over on their side. 

“Tis fine,” I mumbled, swallowing my seventh. Only half of the contents entered my mouth before Chika quickly bent over the table and snatched the remainder out of my hand, spilling some onto my hand and then downing the rest. “Hey! That was mine.” 

She poked her tongue out at me playfully. “Sorry, it’s for your own good,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. She then stood up, much too gracefully for what should have been a very drunk woman. I guessed she had so much practice that getting inebriated didn’t come swiftly anymore.

“I need to take a wee. Be good,” she warned teasingly. She then left, moving smoothly in heels that were almost two inches taller than mine.

The bar was all but empty. The only people left were me, Chika, and of course, Kakashi, who made himself look disinterested in our shenanigans. It must have been terribly late, or rather terribly early in the morning.

I could barely see Kakashi from the distance, which wasn’t far. Still, all I could see was a blurry outline that only got clearer as he approached my table due to the vodka. “You need to leave,” he said sharply, bending in to whisper to me to act like he was coming onto me and not that he knew me. 

“Aww, but Captain Kakashi, I’m having fun,” I whined, pouting my lip out and fluttering my eyelashes pleadingly. I made no move to get up and reached in to get another shot that got delivered to the table.

Kakashi’s hand reached for the drink before I got it, and he pushed it out of reach, grabbing my arm in the process to lift me onto unsteady feet. “That’s an order, Miyabi,” he growled lowly against my ear. I suppose he wanted me to feel intimidated, but all I could do was shiver pleasantly. 

“Or what, are you going to punish me, Captain?” I emphasized the word punished; the sentence fuelled with innuendo as I leaned into him, sighing. I felt Kakashi tense at my light touches and my suggestive remark, and then he started tugging at me, pulling me from the table and out the door. I was too far gone in my drink to stop him from dragging me forcefully, and I stumbled begrudgingly, not even having the awareness to fight back. 

“You’ve had way too much,” Kakashi finally said, pulling me into lone, dark streets so no one would see us together. “Do I need to remind you that we’re on a mission?” He was angry at me; that was obvious. His dark eye kept glancing back to me with daggers, and his hand tightened around my wrist, not letting me go in case I wandered off to do my own thing. 

“Ow, ow, you’re hurting me, Kashi,” I winced but still allowed myself to get dragged. “And I drank for the mission.”

“Oh really? Care to share your logic?”

“I didn … didn’t wanna looksh suspicious.”

I caught Kakashi’s grey eye roll at me, “at least you had some awareness to not let anything slip.” 

“I’m not an idiot,” I mumbled.

“Well, you acted like one,” he snapped, too mad to even look at me again. 

It took longer to get to our hotel because we had to take winding paths and back streets that the city didn’t even bother to light. It was safer that way in order for me to maintain my identity. As we walked in silence (well, I wobbled rather than walked), I was starting to regret my decision. It turned out alcohol didn’t make the thoughts and visions go away but simply stores them for a later time to unleash all on once, with an added drawback of nausea. 

Kakashi basically shoved me into the room once we arrived and closed the door with a slam, making a note to lock it just in case I thought it a good idea to go walkabout. However, as he turned to me, the anger in his eye dissipated into softness at the apologetic look on my face.

“I’m sorry,” I confessed. “I didn’t intend to get so pissed,” I dipped my head, shuddering at the mushiness of my voice.

“I know,” Kakashi said quietly. I wondered that; if he really did understand. I remembered that he once mentioned the losses he had experienced, vague as it was. Perhaps he was more familiar with the situation than he let on, using alcohol as a suppressant to deal with the tragedy of life, dragging himself home to delve into his smutty books or rather into someone …

Okaaay, time to stop there. I was way too drunk to be thinking about any of that. Looks aside, Kakashi had to stay put in the off-limits category. Now was not the time to consider him otherwise, while my hormones and my body were not in my control. 

“You should get to bed,” Kakashi said, making a move to drag me, as clothed as I was with shoes still on my feet, to the bed. I shook my head, snatching back my hand with a ferocity that surprised even me.

“No,” I protested, shaking my head fervently. “I don’t want to sleep.”

“Miyabi, it’s four am …”

“No,” I reiterated more firmly, pulling further away to sit at the table. “I’m sick of sleeping … of seeing them. It’s all I see.”

“You’re comrades?” He almost sounded too afraid to ask, but he slowly took a seat opposite me, interlacing his gloveless fingers on the smooth surface. I bit my lip, the flesh quivering slightly above my teeth as the thoughts, more potent than they were when I was sober, pushed to the forefront of my drunken brain. I was uncomfortably silent, trying to quash them down, but then the tears starting stinging my eyes and welling up, forcing my throat to tighten. I tried to gulp back the powerful emotion, pushing on a shaky smile at best. And then I burst into tears. I was too weak. 

I placed my hands in front of my face, trying my best to hide my puffy eyes as I cried harder. “Their names were Kitsune and Haruki,” I blurted, in-between hiccups. “We were talking just before, coming back from a failed mission. Lord Aashi wan … wanted to see me, but … but he was planning on killing me for failing to awaken the Sharingan. I … um … took too long. But … they … Kitsune and Haruki found out. They saved me, but he killed them! There was so much blood. They got Kitsune first, and Haruki’s head came clean off at my feet.” I took in a trembling inhale and exhale, looking at my hands as I clawed at my skirt. I was on a rant. There was no stopping me. All the anger and pain I have had for the past weeks came rushing to the surface. “They … told me to run. I … should … should have been able to st … stop it!” 

I rubbed my palms against my teary eyes but more simply took their place, sliding down to the corners of my mouth where I could taste their saltiness before continuing on down my chin and neck. Kakashi was staring at me carefully, and I wished he would look away from my vulnerability – appearing too small and fragile for a seasoned kunoichi. 

Once I was sure I wouldn’t crumble into another howl, I took away my hands. My surroundings were way too sharpened for drunk eyes. It took a second to realize I had unconsciously activated my Sharingan amongst my hysteria. “I’m sorry,” I chocked out. “I didn’t mean to break like this.” 

“It’s,” he stopped, searching for the right word, “expected. When you see a comrade die is never easy.” He didn’t make a move to get closer to me, but I didn’t need that; seeing the understanding and pain in his eye mirrored back at me was enough. “But it’s not your fault,” I scoffed at him. Lord Aashi killed them; that was true, and I didn’t deny that. But if it weren’t for my weakness, none of this would have happened, and they would still be alive. Despite my disagreeable sound, Kakashi continued. “It may take time for you to realize, but it’s no one’s fault other than the Hidden Lake and Lord Aashi’s greed for power that murdered them, not any weakness you believe you have.” 

I gaped at him, sniffing back another tear droplet. It was nothing new to me; I had already said the same thing to myself over and over again to try and stop feeling the way I did. Coming from him hit me differently; it made me want to believe it. Maybe because he sounded so familiar to myself, so attuned to the emotion that was raging in me that I tried to deny. “Besides, I don’t think you’re weak, Miyabi. You haven’t abandoned the memory of your friends, and you continue to live out their will even when they're gone. Because you’re here means they're still alive.” 

The room turned eerily silent as my Sharingan took in all of Kakashi, stopping at his eye that stared into me, pushing his point home. Could it really get better? It must because he was here, sitting right before me and surviving. “Kakashi, you told me once what that Sharingan of yours meant, and you said …”

“It means I’ll never let a comrade die.” I nodded, refusing to leave his intense gaze.

“That’s what you meant. Before, I didn’t understand it. Because sometimes it’s not in our power to decide who gets to live or die. But to uphold their memory, that’s something that can be controlled …” With a single finger, I swiped the lone tear that slid down to my cheek. I smiled with genuine warmth. I was nowhere near healed; everything still hurt, but it hurt a little less. I knew what I had to do, and it was going to be difficult. I vowed when they died that I would live to avenge them, but today I vowed that I would live for them. I would get through this; I would survive. Saying it was not going to be enough, but it was a start, and I never went back on my word, much like Naruto. My heart fluttered thinking about them, all three of them. Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi, they weren’t replacements, they’d never be that, but I didn’t want to give them up either. 

I straightened my spine, “Right! Thank you, Kakashi.” I made an attempt to stand up, but the whole room spun around my head at sickening speed, forcing me to sway back on my butt. I blinked back the nausea. “Ouch, the Sharingan makes drunk being even worse,” I said, promptly deactivating my red-black eyes and eliciting an amused chuckle from the copy ninja.

“I was going to say something, but I figured I’d let you figure it out.” He got up for me, getting a glass of water from the kitchen tap. “You’ll thank me for it,” he said, handing me the glass.

I thanked him for it, slowly sipping and realizing how dehydrated I felt. Tomorrow morning was not going to be enjoyable, that much I was sure of. Once I was finished, I made another move to stand, successful in making a few steps before my heel unexpectedly snapped from under me, sending me almost falling face first; if it weren’t for the wall, I quickly used to steady myself. My breath jumped out of my chest. I took a moment, sliding against the wall to bend over, hands over my knees. I was appreciative of feeling something unmoving. 

“You like making a habit of this, don’t you?” Kakashi’s face appeared in front of me, eyes creased in concern. He was crouched down, one hand out to support him and the other looped around my neck. At the feeling of the close proximity between us and his fingers, calloused and gentle, against my skin, the thought of that morning of dry humping ambushed me. Before I could stop myself, I leaned into his masked face. 

I missed his mouth. I thought it was because I was still very much intoxicated, but then I realized he had turned his head. I ended up kissing, a mixture of mask, jaw, and cheek. Still, it was strangely appealing. My balance was much to be desired, and I stumbled forward. Kakashi caught me with two hands, and he pushed me back against the wall. I leaned back, my head swarming with dizziness. Kakashi’s mouth was so close to me, I could feel the breath hitting my lips through his mask. My entire body was blazing hot, and not because of the hefty amount of alcohol I had consumed. 

Kakashi shifted, easing away to look at me. He wasn’t angry, just confused. “You should go to sleep,” he instructed calmly, despite the fact I had just tried to throw myself at him. 

“I don’t feel like sleeping just yet,” I said defiantly, pulling on his shirt to drag him in. This time, I didn’t miss, and our mouths met dead on. Kakashi let out a disgruntled sound through the fabric of his mask. I could feel the vibrations. Hastily he pulled away, his hands pushing against my waist and his thigh moving between mine to act as a wedge. 

“Stop it,” He urged, eye wide with shock but also glittering with something I sought to bring out: a dark hunger. 

I smirked at him coyly, liquid courage fuelling my actions. “Why? Is something wrong?” 

Kakashi groaned in frustration, dipping his head into the crook of my neck, inhaling my scent. “Because I’m you’re superior, Miyabi. And your drunk.” 

“Is that all?” I asked. “We’re both adults, Kakashi. Besides, that didn’t stop you before.”

Okay, that wasn’t fair, considering ‘before’ was me referring to when he was asleep and unaware. At this point, I was desperate for his touch, and I was willing to use anything to convince him, and I was too wasted to weigh the consequences and dangers of letting him in on my secret. 

“What do you mean?” he asked, sounding worried. 

Maybe I should have stopped there, but I wasn’t listening to the quiet voice in my head that warned me to shut up. I was listening to the horny, irrational one. 

I smirked mischievously as I stared at Kakashi’s onyx eye, my Sharingan swirling to life. I fed him the memory, detail for detail, in my perspective. It started with me catching him enjoying his dirty dream, whispering incriminating words. His eye widened in horror as the Kakashi he saw moved to roll over, thus trapping me, hips grinding against my core. When my genjutsu self started making those short breaths and desperate moans, Kakashi shuddered against me. I could see the pants he was wearing begin to tighten around his groin. His hands around my waist stiffened the more intense the vision I shared got, and I was sure I would have small finger-shaped bruise marks after this. When I showed him what happened when I escaped to the bathroom, enduring an intense climax, he bit back a groan. 

“Miyabi …” he choked out warningly. I leaned in again, my mouth glazing over his clothed neck, tongue dampening the fabric. The noise Kakashi let out was one that was far from protest. His left hand tightened around my waist, and his right came up to my chin to lift up my head to look directly into his mismatched eyes that were full of desire. Then his masked lips smashed against mine hungrily, his hands snaking down to my hips to draw them flush against him. I didn’t mind kissing him through the mask. It was soft, and I could still feel his lips through it. Honestly, I didn’t expect anything less from Kakashi. 

Then his mouth left me, and I let out a small whimper at the loss. “Kakashi,” I pouted.

He chuckled against me and dipped his hand into his pocket, bringing out his Hidden Leaf Forehead protector. Kakashi brought the fabric to my eyes, and I realized then what he intended to do with it. I trembled in anticipation as he tied it around my head, my eyes covered entirely. The Sharingan still allowed me to penetrate the cloth, I could have easily snuck a peek, but I respected Kakashi too much to deceive him. Before he brought the mask past the middle of his nose bridge, I forced myself to deactivate them. 

“That’s better,” he said, with me grinning at him blindly. I was a ball of nervous energy, still anxious that he would decide to reject me and walk away. When I was adamant that I would explode, I felt his warm breath ghost over my lips. My lips parted as my breath came out unsteady.

I gasped against his mouth as I felt his bare lips against mine. As much as I physically could, I pressed myself against him, feeling the evidence of his arousal pressed firmly against the inside of my thigh. I arched against him, feeling his tongue glide over the bottom of my lip, and he growled lowly as his fingers dug into my thighs and hoisted me up harshly against the wall, forcing my legs to wrap around his waist. For a moment, his mouth disappeared, but it was soon back on me, kissing me as instructed, open-mouthed, hot, and desperate. I crept my legs higher on his waist, dragging Kakashi in even more so. My raised nipples were rubbing tightly against his chest, which served to make the heat between my thighs grow more intense. 

A needy moan pushed through my mouth into Kakashi’s, and he seemed rather encouraged by that small noise, and he deepened the kiss with a roll of his hips into mine. I let loose a high whimper, which had a profound effect on Kakashi. He moved away from my mouth to stare at my with hazy lust before putting my legs back down on the ground and setting soft kisses to my lips and then trailing down my jaw and neck. My hands balled up into his shirt as he showered my sensitive skin with light kisses before feeling his teeth graze over me ever-so-slightly, and I was almost afraid I’d come undone right there and then. 

He inhaled at the base of my neck, his fingers running up and down my sides before stopping at the swell of my breasts. I breathed sharply as his hands cupped my clothed breasts, thumb flicking over the nipples that were even poking through my bra. I desperately wanted to see him and find out what his face would look like, especially now when he was so wanton. 

Because I was blindfolded, my other senses were intensified ten-fold, particularly my sense of touch that was almost too much to bear, but at the same time, I didn’t want that feeling to stop. 

I threw my head back as Kakashi’s hands slid under my turtleneck and crept under my bra to get a better feel for what was underneath. He growled against my neck as my nipples hardened even more to his soft caresses, getting faster and harder the more time that had passed. As his index finger and thumb went to pinch at the hard buds, I gasped in pleasure, pushing my hips forward to communicate that I couldn’t take much more teasing. I needed his hands somewhere more urgent. 

“Kakashi, please,” I begged breathlessly. “I … I need you …”

I felt his smirk against my skin, and his calloused hands ran back down, past my stomach, and then dangerously low on my hips, rubbing small circles with his fingers. He took in a large inhale, groaning with the breath. “I can smell how wet you already are,” he said hoarsely, lips brushing against the shell of my ear. His words did nothing to quell my embarrassment, but they did shoot intense arousal through me

“Kakashi …”

My pleading finally got to him, and his knee came between my thighs to push them further apart. He had tormented me enough, and his hand finally left my hips to wander south. The heat radiated off of me as he reached the apex of my thighs. Then a finger ran over the seam of my lacy panties. I moaned ardently at the small touch, wiggling against him for more. 

“Is that what you wanted?” He asked, amused, rubbing his finger against me slowly and forcefully.

“Yes,” I groaned out, rolling my hips to obtain more friction. I could feel my juices thickening as he continued the teasing, flicking back and forth hard against my clit. He must know how frustrated I was getting. “Please,” I cried in desperation, my face contorted in pleasure. 

“Good girl,” he smirked smugly, dipping his hand beneath my panties, finally feeling the slickness of my folds. I couldn’t believe how wet I was. No one had ever got me so worked up like Kakashi was. He dipped a single finger inside me, my mouth dropping open silently at the sensation. 

He ran over me, his thumb flicking over my sensitive bud with each pass. My sharp breaths were turning into loud, desperate moans, egging him on further, making his finger pump out of me faster, before happily adding a second, which only served to make me more audible. I was rocking against him. My mouth landed back onto his, kissing him sloppily and falling agape with gasps that he greedily swallowed for me. 

“Oh, Kakashi. I’m going to …” I panted wantonly as he drew tight circles around my clit, with me falling apart for him. My thighs clenched around his wrist as he continued, and I could feel my legs tremble as he continued rubbing my nerves without mercy. “Oh god, Kakashi.” He dipped his head to my ear as I moaned in earnest against him. 

“Come, Miyabi,” he prompted. I let out a breathy whine as my body tensed and trembled, my vagina walls clenching hard around his fingers that pumped vigorously inside me as I came. As I climbed down from my pinnacle, Kakashi slowed his thumb's movement from quick circles to lazy paces until finally to light drumming. A full jolt shot through my body at each subsequent touch after that. 

I was a little disappointed to find that Kakashi had put his mask back into place when he lifted the makeshift blindfold from my face. Through cloudy eyes, I peeked up at him sheepishly. 

I made a move to reach to his pants, intent on giving him the same pleasure that he had given me. I could plainly see the large bulge pushing against the confining space, and I thought that the tightness would be rather painful. However, as my hands came to pop the button, his larger hand came on top of mine to halt me. I peered at him with perplexity, not understanding why I was being stopped. I was met with a dark, lusty gaze, but then the tomoe in his left eye began turning, lulling me into a sleep I could not fight. 

“Another time perhaps,” I heard him say, his voice still low and husky with need.


	12. Chapter 12

Kakashi peered down to his arm with Miyabi slumped unconsciously over it. Even though he was moments ago three knuckles deep buried inside of her, he couldn’t wrack up the courage to undress her and put her to bed. Carefully, he placed her on top of the sheets, smiling at the small sleepy murmur she made that he found to be rather adorable. The only thing he could bring himself to do was slide off the heels she made a point of criticizing at any chance she got. Although he didn’t admit it to her openly, he particularly liked them, especially how they amplified her already toned legs.

As he watched over her, brown locks mopped over her resting face, he felt his member twitch at the recent memory of what he had done. Her body was so responsive to each little touch he gave her, and her little mewls growing into desperate whines were so endearing, especially the scent of her spicy arousal that filled the room and his sensitized nostrils. 

How had he let it get like that? He was the sober one, he should have been in control, but instead, he allowed Miyabi to get her drunken way, not that he was entirely complaining. It would have been so easy to let her continue, to allow her to impale herself onto his throbbing cock, but before he let it get that far, he obtained some semblance of decency. 

She was drunk and upset. It was a bad combination, and he felt guilty, like he had taken advantage of her minutes after finally opening up about her pain. He should have said no, he would have said no, but then she had to go and use ‘that’ against him. After the genjutsu, he felt he still had some amount of control; however, when she looked at him like that, eyes glazed over with wanton need, the inner battle inside him lost.

Even now, Kakashi was still very much hard in his pants, and he felt like an S-rank arsehole for doing what he did and still being turned on by it. Sure enough, he found her beautiful. He made that judgment not long after meeting her, making a note of her long golden hair that seemed to shimmer in the sun, her pale olive skin, and her captivating, dark eyes. If it weren’t for her being a member of Team Kakashi, he probably would have already fucked her. 

Sex wasn’t an issue for Kakashi. He had a lot of it. It didn’t mean anything to him, and there was never any kind of commitment afterward. That was the way he liked it: no strings attached. 

He rarely slept with girls in the Hidden Leaf, not wanting to deal with running into them after. There were always a few women who had grown too attached to him, but he always was quick to quash any troublesome affections. 

Miyabi was too close for him; gods, she was on the same team as him, for fucks sake! That should be ample reason to not want to get into her pants. But then she would be bold enough to tease him, which encouraged him to come right back at her, reveling in how her cheeks would flare up a pretty shade of pink which only egged him on further. Most of the time, he only intended it to be innocent banter, for he did, in fact, enjoy her company, seeing himself in her a little. 

He recognized that familiar pain in her eyes, the distance in them that was very akin to how he used to look after his father, Obito, Rin, and Minato Sensei’s death. Mostly, he just wanted to distract her, to let her know that she wasn’t as alone as she felt, that she had Team Kakashi by her side. But sometimes, the teasing would go too far, into the realms of downright inappropriate, and her reactions were always so rewarding. He loved the way she would stammer for words, her face bright red with embarrassment. Mostly, he enjoyed the tell-tale signs of arousal coming from her at his overtly flirtatious remarks.

That’s it; he was definitely going to hell. 

Kakashi groaned outwardly at himself. He should just change his name from Kakashi the Copy Ninja to Kakashi the Pervert. It was slightly more fitting, he thought. Though, he supposed he should give himself a tiny pat on the back, for he managed to deny her in the end. 

How long would his resolve last, he wondered? It took all but a look, and he was at her disposal, pumping his digits in and out of her until she was writhing with impending orgasm, clenching hard down on his fingers. He hoped that she might just forget about the whole ordeal, and he could pretend that none of it happened and go on acting like the responsible captain he should have been all along. But if she forgot, she would probably also forget about the breakthrough she had with him, with her telling him precisely what had happened to her comrades. She needed a win, to feel something other than despair. He wanted her to at least remember that, to know that she could come to him if she needed to talk. 

He wasn’t any good at the whole talking about your feelings thing, and he was terrible at advice, at least so he thought. Sakura would be a better shoulder to cry on, but she hadn’t experienced the kind of loss that waned on both him and Miyabi. She needed someone, and she barely had anyone except for Team Kakashi, so he brought it on himself to help her through it no matter how much she outwardly refused. She was a comrade, so he wouldn’t abandon her and allow her to turn cold like he had been in his Anbu days.

That was another reason why he should keep it in his pants. He didn’t need to push her away with meaningless sex. He couldn’t be selfish with her like he had been with many nameless, and if Kakashi were being honest, faceless women. She deserved more than that, and it was a bad idea considering how vulnerable she currently was. He didn’t think she could handle just having sex. But if she was just as alike as him as he perceived her to be, she was probably just as emotionally stunted…

Nope, he definitely needed to get the notion of bedding her out of his head. There must be a screw loose to still be thinking about that. If Lady Tsunade knew what was currently going on in that twisted mind of his, he’d probably be neutered, and he liked his balls right where they were; thank you very much. 

Then she had to go and roll over on her stomach, her tiny skirt hitching high on her thighs, revealing her toned round bottom and her black lacy panties that were still damp with her earlier desire. Then his mind was right where it started, back in the gutter. 

Kakashi had a half a mind to go over to her, wake her up, and screw into next week. He doubted under her intoxication, she would hardly mind. Oh god, he really was a depraved pervert. But she was so tempting, legs splayed, bottom slightly in the air, breathing just a little harsher than normal. He felt dizzy just thinking about what he could do to get her moaning like she had been earlier.

“Kakashi …” she sighed, her small body twitching and fingers grasping tightly at the sheets.

And now she was dreaming about him! Kakashi growled lowly, his voice vibrating in his throat at the sight, watching her face contort into pleasure at the dream he very much wanted to know entailed. He bet that it probably wasn’t as good as what he could give her in reality. If he had his way, if he could do as he pleased with no consequences, he’d have her screaming his name over and over again. 

He then realized something oddly familiar about the sight. It was very similar to the sexual dream he had earlier in the week. He was glad that Miyabi hadn’t even thought to ask what it was about because he didn’t think he had the dignity to say that he was dreaming of having her bent over and him hammering into her relentlessly. He was beyond embarrassed about the dream, so much so that his ears went red at the recollection. When he had woken, he was utterly relieved that Miyabi wasn’t in the room, and he jotted down the musky scent of her feminine arousal being one created by his overactive imagination. He knew now, of course, what had actually transpired, filling him with a mixture of shame and something he’d rather not admit. 

“Mmm, Kakashi, please,” Miyabi whined pleadingly, her muscles flexing to the pleasure signals her brain was sending her body. 

Kakashi found his mouth dry and feet rooted to the spot as he watched her, gently moaning his name. She was still entirely clothed, and yet he found the scene still as erotic (if not more so) than the pages found in the Makeout series. She was beautiful with her face twisted in euphoria, and Kakashi was willing to admit that all though off-limits, she had to be the most gorgeous woman he had the pleasure of viewing. Even when crying, she was beautiful. 

When compared to her, Kakashi began to feel that all the women he had been with over the years were nothing if ordinary. Her looks took his breath away, but that was okay. He was allowed to look. 

Kakashi had known well before the mission how good-looking Miyabi was, but this mission really threw that fact into his face. Seeing her dressed up in those sexy outfits each night and putting on an air of confidence in the way she moved and spoke was utter torture. He didn’t know how much more of it he could take, especially when he saw men who viewed her as nothing but a piece of meat sleaze onto her. That was the worst. 

But who was he to talk as his erection throbbed fiercely in the confines of his pants? It was now suddenly too tight, and he felt himself longing to do the unthinkable, to join her in bed and grind against her just like that morning.

Okay, maybe he wanted to do a bit more than just grind. 

Never had he wanted to taste a women’s body as much as he did now. He wanted to explore every inch of her, to savor, to pleasure, to tease her. She was lonely, it was apparent in her eyes, and he wanted to be the one to satiate that lonely desire and hold her through the night. 

He didn’t trust that he could hold onto his willpower if he kept standing there, soaking her in. With a sexually frustrated growl, he swept past the bed into the bathroom, locking the door behind him and cranking on the cold water. In mere seconds he discarded his clothes and stood into the freezing spray. Even the cold bite of the water did nothing to quell his raging erection. He tried to distract his lustful mind on other matters, on banal things, unsettling topics, and things that were downright depressing. He even pictured Gai in that disturbing green jumpsuit, but the image of Miyabi's lithe body writhing against him as he fingered her was burned into his brain, the sound of her moans and whines ringing in his ears. It became pretty obvious that the water's chill was not going to do it, so with a defeated sigh Kakashi turned the tap to hot, groaning contently as the warmth enveloped him. 

There was no other way to quash his throbbing arousal. Kakashi closed his eyes and let the thoughts of Miyabi run rampant as his hand pumped around his shaft. He kept a steady pace to the one he had used on her, with his digits disappearing inside her up to the third knuckle. Her arousal was slick with wetness and so tight that her vaginal walls sucked him in, and he wondered how it would feel to have his cock buried in her, covered in that same sticky, hot arousal. He pictured seeing her perfect body, her wonderful breasts jumping around as he fucked her and his tongue flicking out to taste her hardened buds, eliciting delicious moans. 

His hand over and over again fisted around his length, his body winding tighter as the tension in his lower abdomen swelled. He imagined Miyabi’s face falling open with a silent scream as she came violently, but this time because of his hardened member buried to the hilt in her, thrusting deeply. 

He hissed with clenched teeth as he came, his cock spasming as the tension inside him exploded. Spurt after spurt of his hot seed splashed down onto the tiled floor before whizzing down the drain. 

Spent, and drained Kakashi slumped against the cool wall, his wet silver hair dangling in his face. He drew deep, quivering breaths, images of Miyabi still swirling in his head even despite his release. Unfortunately for him, he wouldn’t be able to get her out of his system that easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though this chapter is the shortest I have written for this fic, I actually rather enjoyed writing it. As always, any comments even including criticism or feedback are welcome. 
> 
> As a side note, I haven't written in third person in five years and have probably only done it once or twice as a short story back when I was 17, but despite that, I have come to the conclusion that it is my favorite point of view to write in.


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